The balance of the Force
by Mireilles3
Summary: What if, when Vader manages to capture Luke once again, the truth and the lies are not what they appear to be? Will Luke change his fate? Or embrace it? Read and find out! L/V/M/E/Le/H/etc. drama, angst, intrigue, family, friendship, romance, etc. Please, R and R!
1. Chapter 1

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2012

* * *

Good afternoon everyone!

Here is the first of eleven stories that I feel like writing, but can't decide which to work on first. Can you help me figure out that answer?

The story with the most readers and reviews will be my next project in the works. Since it can take a few parts before we finally get to the crux of some stories, I won't check the final tally right from the start. However, only the total of both reviews and ongoing readers will determine which story I'm going to work on first, so, if you like this one, leave a review to vote for it

Thanks for your help! Hope you enjoy this story as well!

If you do, please, share your thoughts

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

It had been almost four months since Boba Fett had left Bespin with a frozen Han stashed away in the cargo hold of his Slave 1.

Four months since Lando and Chewie had been searching for the bounty hunter throughout the vastness of space, and two months since the bounty hunter had last been seen anywhere, or so it felt to both Luke and Leia.

When his friend sighed heavily yet again, the young Jedi rested his left – real - hand on hers and squeezed gently. Even though they were both sitting in the mess hall, and that they both had in front of them a plate filled with warm food, neither of them had touched their meal yet, lost as they were in their respective sorrows and concerns.

"We'll find him, Leia, don't worry," he encouraged her, aware that she was thinking about the latest news, or rather lack thereof, that they had received from Lando and Chewie.

"Does the Force tell you that?" she asked, an uneasy smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She briefly met his gaze, just long enough for him to notice the unshed tears that glistened in them.

It was Luke's turn to admit doubt. "I wish it did, but no, it doesn't. However, it's still logical that someday, he'll show up on Tatooine to deliver Han to Jabba. When that happens, we'll be there and ready to act."

"I know," Leia sighed and brushed tears from her left eye. "I just wish that we could save him faster, you know? I mean, I can't help but remember all the details of the file we read on carbonite freezing and its possible side effects... and... I, oh Luke," she sobbed, trying her best to maintain her composure in front of the surrounding troops yet losing her new battle against her true self.

Aware that she was truly on the brink of breaking down, the young Jedi gently pulled her into his arms and held her in a friendly embrace. "I know what you mean, Leia, but Han is strong. He'll pull through, I'm sure of it."

They remained entwined for a few more moments before his friend pulled away, suddenly aware of their public surroundings. She checked her intricate braids for stray hair while Luke threw a warning glance at the curious onlookers.

"And you're certain that the Force doesn't give you any hint as to the outcome of our plan?" his friend asked, drawing his attention back to her.

He slowly shook his head in answer. "I'm afraid so... Besides," he shrugged in a self-deprecating fashion, "I doubt I'm 'that' powerful."

Indeed, ever since his humbling confrontation with Vader on Bespin and the loss of his right hand, he had reconsidered his perceptions of his Force powers. After all, the Sith Lord had merely been toying with him whereas he had exerted all the strength he had and then some just to survive the encounter.

Worse, Vader had not even truly sought to kill him, yet Luke had needed every iota of his potential power to merely survive the other's attempt to corner him.

And cornered him, he most certainly had.

He shuddered as he relived, yet again, the moment when Vader had not only claimed that the Jedi had lied to him, but that he, the Sith, was in fact his father.

His father...

Ben had told him that Vader had killed his father, but Vader had stated that 'he', in fact, was Anakin Skywalker.

The revolting thought would have been enough to destabilize the fledgling Jedi, but no, Luke grimaced at the torturing memory, it hadn't ended there.

Instead, he had also Felt the truth in the Sith's words, which meant that his enemy had not lied... that he, hopeful Jedi-in-training, truly was-

*Luke," the deep baritone invaded his mind yet again, and, as had happened ever since their first similar contact above Bespin, Luke did his best to ignore him. He then also tried to block him out, to no avail.

*Son, come with me. You belong with me."

"Don't say that, Luke," Leia was trying to encourage him about their ongoing conversation. She patted his left hand. "I'm sure that your powers will be even greater than you imagine. I mean, you did survive a duel with Vader, didn't you? Not many people can crow about that."

'Because he wanted me alive,' he thought in humility but didn't say out loud although he wished that he could.

*You were still very talented, Son," Vader joined in, and even as Luke meant to tell him off and out of his mind, a warning of danger came to him, but too late.

His father's agent had accomplished his mission.

The tip of the poisoned dart instantly melted into his skin and jugular, liberating the toxin of the dart into his bloodstream. Lacking the millisecond he would have needed to counteract the poison's effect, Luke immediately felt his senses slip away from him; he wasn't conscious anymore by the time he crumpled to the deck.

Meanwhile, Leia was already calling for help while the other present rebels had already jumped on the revealed imperial agent, easily restraining him.

Unfortunately, they were all too late to help their Jedi ally as he had already fallen unconscious and had even broken into a fever that had him shivering uncontrollably while the poison quickly spread throughout his organism.

By the time that the medics arrived, he had begun to convulse in pain, aware yet unaware of his torment, a torment designed for a Jedi enemy.

* * *

Hours later, Leia was still pacing in concern behind the observation window of the medical bay where the Alliance's best medics were gathered around their only Jedi.

Their expert in toxicology had arrived less than half-an-hour ago from Home One, but even his input was useless in light of the analysis that had been run so far.

Simply put, none of the medics had ever encountered that kind of exotic concoction and not even the imperial agent could provide information about it. The infiltrator had only been told about the identity of his target and had received the darts directly from Vader's hand. Worse, as per his orders, he had instantly flash-burnt the remaining doses upon being successful in his mission, making it impossible for the medics to study the initial substance and find its antidote.

Thus, the only fact that they could confirm about Luke's predicament was that the youth was in tormenting pain and aware of it, yet was unable to gather his consciousness to fight it or awaken.

It was, Leia understood, a drug that attacked the Jedi's soul.

Worse, they had tried everything they could think of to help their Jedi recover or escape his new challenge, but neither knocking him out into a coma or shooting him with adrenaline had helped. Pain killers also worsened his state, almost acting like a magnifier instead of an inhibitor for the agony.

In short, every time that they had tried to intervene, they had worsened the situation for Luke.

Leia was at a loss as to what they should do next.

"Princess Leia," an orderly saluted as he handed her a comlink. "The captain requests your presence on the command deck."

Leia groaned in concern. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this interruption.

* * *

When she reached the command deck, the captain brought her in a communication room adjacent to the bridge- where Darth Vader was patiently waiting in the receiving field of the holo-transmitter.

"Bring the boy to the coordinates beta-gamma 492. Come alone. You have twenty-four hours to comply."

"You can't have him," she reflexively answered as defiantly as she could. "What do you want in exchange for the cure?"

Vader crossed his arms in front of his blinking chest and, as if that were possible, straightened up to an even more imposing size. "You misunderstand the situation, your Highness. He is the only one I want, the only thing that matters anymore. Once he is with me, I will heal him."

"And if we don't deliver him?"

"You will never be able to help him, and he will forever remain in blinding Force agony, which he will always be aware of, I assure you. If I can't have him, no one will. Do as I say and you will be guaranteed safe-passage back to your puny rebellion. You have twenty-four hours to comply or 'I' will retrieve him and you won't survive the encounter."

With that, the contact was cut off, leaving Leia perplexed and distraught. He knew where they were, she realized. He knew 'exactly' where they were and, unless they delivered Luke, he would bring the imperial fleet down upon their group with all its might, crushing them while capturing information, and, before long, the last hope for the galaxy's freedom would die out of extinction.

"Perhaps we can arrange for reinforcement so as to capture Vader at the rendezvous point?" the captain offered.

From a screen on the bulkhead that was behind them, general Rieekan answered him. "Have you even heard of that ever happening?"

"It's as likely as capturing the Emperor," general Dodonna scoffed in agreement.

"Then we have no choice," Mon Mothma concluded and Leia reluctantly raised her head to meet her leader's gaze. "Leave with Luke as soon as possible, Leia."

"But, surely there's something that we can-"

"There isn't... not yet," the matriarch explained sadly. "Once Luke is healed by Vader, we'll be able to mount an operation to recover him, but for now... Vader holds all the good cards, so to speak."

Even though the young Alderaani nodded in reluctant agreement, she was all too aware that once Vader would once again have Luke in custody, breaking her friend out would be next to impossible.

The next time they would see the powerful young man, he might very well be their sworn enemy, or at bare minimum forced to serve the imperial side.

She could only hope that another plan would occur to her before it was too late to save her friend.

* * *

Sixteen hours later, Leia's pilot brought the shuttle out of hyperspace. They had arrived at the rendezvous coordinates.

Throughout the transit through hyperspace, the princess had remained by her friend's side, trying to rouse him with stories of their adventures together and the bond that they had forged between the three of them – herself, Luke and Han. She begged the young man to find a way back to her, as she needed him just as much as she needed Han even though her love for Han was of a different nature than her love-friendship for the Jedi-in-training.

Despite her earnest pleas, however, her friend remained unresponsive save for his groans of complaint and his rasping breaths. He was so bathed in sweat now that she had shorten his long pajama pants to try and cool him down, but without success.

If only she had seen the threat of the unfamiliar soldier instead of bemoaning her loss of Han. If only she had been facing in the right direction, she rebuked herself yet again.

With a last kiss on the Jedi's forehead, she stood up and, with the pilot's help, steered the floating gurney toward the rescue ramp of the shuttle. A similar ramp had extended from the lone lambda-class shuttle that had been waiting for them at the pre-arranged coordinates.

So far so good, she tried to encourage herself, pushing some of Luke's sweat-strung hair out of his forehead. He would soon be healed, she reminded herself. Soon, his nightmare would be over, but at what cost?..

What would his circumstances be while back in Vader's claws?..

When the green signal turned on above the emergency hatch, she reluctantly opened the hatchway - and almost yelped in shock as Luke's limp form suddenly rose in the air before it quickly floated out of the hatchway and into Vader's waiting hands. Behind her, the pilot silently fainted from fright, his head hitting the deck with a resounding thud.

Leia wasn't aware of this, though. Instead, her powerless glare was locked on the Sith Lord. "If you even touch a hair on his head this time..."

The darksider answered by shutting the temporary ramp again, wordlessly cutting her off from her Jedi friend.

Aware that the Sith would not linger nearby, she reflexively shut off her emergency hatch. She was just in time, too, as Vader had already begun to free his ship from the emergency coupling.

Leia remained frozen in place, staring for a long while at the hatchway from which Luke had just been taken from her.

She still couldn't believe that she had simply given him to Vader, without even a fight from her part, and yet, what else could she have done?

The Dark Lord had played his ace against them and had won this round.

* * *

Aboard the Tydirium shuttle, Vader swiftly administered the antidote that had attacked Luke's physical connection to the Force, causing the Jedi immense torment because the various aspects of a Jedi's connection to the Force were never meant to be forced apart like this. The only advantage of this particular Sith poison was that the victim would not actually 'remember' the throes of agony he had been through; he would only feel the after-effects of the latest trial.

He carefully monitored the boy's reaction to the antidote and then, the moment that the boy's convulsion came to an end, he gave him a new injection, to knock him out this time.

Finally, when the boy was out of physical danger and once again under his complete control, he brought him into the cockpit with him where he kept an eye on his physical and Force-related recoveries while the shuttle hurtled through hyperspace.

At last, he had recovered his wily son. He would never lose him again.

* * *

Well? How was that?

If you want more, you know what to do:) And if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you prefer). However, if you simply don't like this 'kind' of story, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Have a great week-end everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long :) Moreover, this time, they might make me work on this story first for the next year or so ;P So? Will you vote for it? I hope so!


	2. Chapter 2

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2012

* * *

Good afternoon everyone!

Here is the second part of the first of eleven stories that I feel like writing, but can't decide which to work on first. Can you help me figure out that answer?

Remember, the story with the most readers and reviews will be my next project in the works. If you like this one, leave a review to vote for it

Thanks for your help! Hope you enjoy this story as well!

If you do, please, share your thoughts

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 2 : Restoration

The moment that he boarded the Executor, Vader, once again carrying his precious son, headed straight for the special exam/surgical room where the Sith's newest personal medic was waiting for his single and most expected patient. Indeed, ever since Lord Vader had personally hired the Empire's top mind in the field of neurology, the recluse young scientist had been preparing for this day, namely the day that his lord's son was finally brought to him for his delicate surgery.

Thanks to the unlimited funding he had been given access to, as well as the expert resources and advanced technology that he had had at his disposal - not to mention the unexpected delay in the search for Skywalker - the renowned young doctor had been able to perfect what had once been a tentative process into a guaranteed and completely safe brain intervention.

As for Darth Vader, ever since his son, Luke 'Skywalker', had resurfaced as a rebel hero, and that the Sith had hired the young genius, he had been keeping a very close eye on the medic's progress while focusing all his waking hours on his search for his lost boy. However, between the rebels' sustained efforts to protect the boy from the dark lord of the Sith and Luke's own powers that allowed him to somehow unconsciously shield his Force presence, the search for Skywalker had dragged well into a third year.

Finally, however, he had been able to recover the elusive youth, for good this time.

Cursed Kenobi had done quite a number on his son's mind; if he hadn't already killed the Jedi traitor, Vader would make sure to kill him slowly, very slowly, as well as with extreme prejudice. After all, the Jedi's spirit had 'dared' intervene further with Luke by visiting the boy from beyond the grave, guiding him ever further down the cursed Jedi path.

For now, though, the only thing that mattered was his son's return to whom he used to be.

Still carrying his inert son in his arms, he finally entered the room that had, throughout the past two years and a half, been converted into a fully-functional and extremely-advanced medical station specialized in rare and extremely delicate brain surgery.

Making sure to protect the boy's limp head, Vader gently laid him on the exam table/neural reconstruction surgery table that had been developed especially for his overdue treatment.

Finally, after almost three years of hard work and tests led in a private facility while Vader chased down his rebellious son, they were finally there.

The neurologist was confident enough to wager his and his team's lives on their procedure's reliability and efficiency. Furthermore, between his expertise and Vader's Force-probes, which the scientist had studied so as to integrate them in his treatment process, the young man was confident that he could not only restore Luke's old memories and personality, but that he would do so without any need for any other form of intervention afterward.

For the medic's sake, Vader hoped that the ambitious man was right. Otherwise, he didn't guarantee his ability to restrain himself from venting his frustration on the concerned man or even his team as a whole.

A slight stirring on the table suddenly caught his attention and he gently rested his gloved hand against his son's temple, strengthening his sleeping veil over the boy's locus of awareness.

He felt the Jedi's subconscious flounder briefly against this new assault but the child quickly subsided once again and he fell back under the power of his father's command to sleep.

How powerful the boy would be once recovered, the Sith thought to himself in fatherly pride. He would be unstoppable.

The nervous neurologist stepped forward and connected probes on the child's head and neck while his assistants turned on the scanning device on which Luke rested.

Vader patiently waited for the first results to come on screen.

"What is your prognostic, doctor?" he asked him when the results came up, along with a structural representation of Luke's body and neuronal pathways.

"The youth is physically strong, my Lord. It will greatly hasten his recovery. As for the operation, once were are done, he should definitely awaken with his former personality and memories intact. There is no reason to fear any other result."

"How long will the surgery itself last?"

"The procedure will last five hours at the most, but he will then have to be maintained in an artificial coma for at least a month so as to allow his brain to solidify the restored pathways; anything less and his 'rebel' memories and pattern of thoughts will instantly overtake his brain from the sympathetic system, where they unfortunately also took root. Thus, when the red lines have been overcome by the green ones," the medic explained, pointing at the scan results, "we will know that his brain has completely integrated the re-strengthened pathways back into its network. Then, and only then, we can risk waking him up and give you back your son as he was before the events of the Death Star."

"Completely?"

"I guarantee it, my Lord," the other bowed respectfully.

Vader pondered his words for a moment. While he had familiarized himself with the subject in order to be able to discuss the preparations with the neurologist 'and' understand his explanations, he still had only a rudimentary comprehension of the procedure that his son would undergo. After a moment, he frowned as something became clearer to him. "You mentioned that he will also still retain traces of his newer memories. That means that he will still remember his years with the Rebellion, correct?"

The medic bit his lip in slight unease. "As you can see, my Lord," he explained, pointing at red lines that ran throughout the scan of his son's brain, "those memories and pattern of thoughts have spread further than his frontal cortex. While the repaired and your implanted memories will contradict what the rebel told him, and that who he used to be will weigh more in the balance, the lies will still remain in his memories. As a result, according to the trigger he faces, the unwanted thoughts will affect him with more or less intensity. It will be up to us to help him figure out the truths from the lies. Still, on the short-term plan, he will not fall back on the rebel lies anymore. He will also remember most-vividly his past in the Empire and at your side, thanks to your Force implants."

Aware that the scientist was holding something back, Vader barely leaned forward, looming over the medic in implicit warning; he was satisfied when the medical man swallowed in nervousness.

"I must warn you, however," the doctor continued. "The scan shows more depth and complexity in the newer memories than I expected."

"Meaning?"

"That, once awake, he will be confused, my Lord, even very confused sometimes because he will still 'feel and think' like how he did when he built those new memories even though the validity of those memories will now be doubtful. There is nothing else I can do about 'that', I'm sorry."

"How long will his confusion last?"

"A few days, a few weeks... There's no telling, my Lord. It will depend how strong his emotions will be and how they will connect with his older memories."

"Then we'll take care that he is not exposed to anything that could trigger the rebel lies in any way. I do not wish to prolong this unpleasantness any longer than necessary."

"Of course, my Lord," the medic bowed, and his assistants followed suit.

"Proceed then, Doctor. Call me if anything, and I mean anything, happens, or if the anaesthesia doesn't work on him."

"As you wish, my Lord."

With a last gaze at his unconscious child, Vader turned on his heels and returned to the rest of his life. Now that Luke was back where he belonged, he could take out all his anger and hatred on any rebel that crossed his path.

But first, he had to report to his master, who was awaiting with great anticipation news of his latest recovery attempt.

After all, the prodigal son had returned, which meant that the 'Jedi' threat that Luke had become was finally over.

Darth Sidious would breathe easier once more, and both Vader and Sidious knew it.

* * *

As it was, by the time that Vader reached his quarters and private communication pod, the Emperor was already waiting for him to answer his call. The towering head of his master loomed over him even before he had stepped onto his reception pod and knelt in obedience.

"Your report, my friend?" the despot prompted impatiently, barely giving him time to gather his thoughts at the Sith's unexpected proactive approach.

"All is well once again, my master. My son is undergoing surgery even as we speak, and the neurologist is confident that the boy will be completely restored to his old self."

"Including his previous lesser knowledge of the Force?"

For a moment, Vader was tempted to lie to his master, but as long as he wouldn't have talked with the restored youth and find out where his 'imperial' son stood on some topics, Vader couldn't risk acting on plans that might not be possible or worse, that could backfire on both himself and Luke. "No, Master. In that regards, he will retain all his knowledge as well as memories of his time spent with the Rebellion. However, as far as his values and motivations go, he will know where he belongs and will serve the Empire."

"But the knowledge and training that he received from the Jedi will remain."

"There is no stopping his growth anymore, Master," Vader said with fatherly satisfaction and pride, aware that his master would be shuddering in concern at his words.

"How soon will he awake?" the tyrant inquired warily.

"Not before a month's time, at least."

Vader frowned when he saw the Sith lord visibly relax from the tension that had been building in his shoulders and stiffening stance. "Ah, then there is time to prepare for his awakening. Well done, Lord Vader. Keep me apprised of his recovery."

"Of course, my master," Vader bowed his head out of habit and almost instantly heard the tell-tale static sound that indicated the end of his latest communication with Sidious.

Once again alone, he straightened up and turned around. Then, while pondering his latest conversation with Sidious, he walked back first into his reception room, and then his observation room where only tranparisteel bay windows separated him from the vast coldness of space. There, feeling as if he were part of the stars, he held his hands behind his back and stood still, locking his gaze on the furthest stars.

While he had already known that he would have to take measures to ensure a smooth transition for Luke when he would awake from his surgery, his latest conversation with Palpatine had made it clearer than ever that, given Luke's potential as a Jedi, the Sith master would not give the child any leeway as to where his allegiance would have to be.

There would be no option available for Luke but one, at least if he wanted to survive his return in the Empire.

Considering that Luke's choices as a rebel had been born of his son's true desires to fight against Palpatine's and the Sith's wrongdoings, Vader understood that he had to intervene and make sure that the boy's imperial memories would not only be the strongest of his two sets of memories, but that Luke would also adhere as quickly as possible to their values.

To that end, he had to help Luke overcome his confusion as quickly as possible, and the only way he knew of was to strengthen as much as possible Luke's older memories as well as his own Force-planted ones. That would require of him to spend most of the upcoming month with the comatose boy.

But then, he mused carefully, his newer admiral, Piett, was a most-capable and reliable subordinate. As long as there weren't large-scale battles to oversee, he could leave him in charge of the entire ship and he would not regret his decision.

His son, however, was a completely 'and' extremely important matter and he would not take 'any' risk in his regards.

His mind made up, he signalled Admiral Piett that, unless there was an emergency or a call from the Emperor, he was not to be disturbed. He then headed for the private ward where his son was still undergoing surgery.

As far as he was concerned, the upcoming month of his life would be spent watching over his boy and spending as much time as safely possible in a sharing trance with Luke's subconscious.

First, though, he had to contact the bounty hunters and Jabba the Hutt so as to make particular arrangements with them. Indeed, while he could trust the Hutt to exact vengeance on Solo and anyone who would come after him, Solo first had to be delivered to the slug. Then, the kingpin would be able to lure in his grubby hands the princess and any other rebel who might manage to take his son away from him yet again, thus ensuring Luke's safety.

He would never be separated from his child ever again. He swore it on both his mother's and his beloved's graves.

* * *

A month later, when Luke Skywalker awoke, at long last, he felt dizzy, nauseous, and absolutely disoriented. He groaned as he brought his hand to his head, and then carefully swallowed in an attempt to moisten his parched throat. The light filtered through his eyelids, but he couldn't bring himself to open them yet; it already hurt enough like that.

"...slow," someone was saying, "get used to... been a while..."

His first thought was that he didn't know that voice. His second was that he was still drifting in and out of awareness, and that he felt much more like falling back under than awakening further.

Then, he heard a very familiar breathing sound and involuntarily started. Right on the heels of that reaction, however, he remembered that the characteristic sound was associated with the dark lord of the Sith, hence that the individual warranted his immediate attention. He tiredly forced his eyes open.

Even though he was well aware that Lord Vader was his father, he still cringed back into his pillow when he opened his eyes and found his sire's dark silhouette looming ominously over him.

He then reflexively took stock of his surroundings, noticing and Feeling the presence of another man and understood that he was not alone with his father. He was thus careful to address him as he should in such circumstances. "Master?" he croaked, wincing at the dryness of his throat and the pain that followed his effort to speak up.

"It's all right, Son," his father informed him, and then motioned to someone out of Luke's eyesight with his hand while the boy tried to sit up, to no avail.

Aware of his lack of strength, the older man turned back toward him and reached down and under him. Then, setting his hand under Luke's shoulders, he carefully helped him to a sitting position even as he used the Force to raise the head of his bunk in a half-sitting position. "You're safe and aboard the Executor."

Luke, who was still too weak to move on his own, gratefully welcomed his father's help to acquire a more suitable position for their upcoming conversation. While he did so, he also dimly noted that his father's voice was gentle and caring, or at least as much so as his vocoder allowed.

"You have been unconscious for a while. Your strength will return gradually. Don't rush anything."

*Father? What... ow...' he asked through the Force, not interested to risk hurting his parched throat further until he could fix this problem. He then brought his hand to his head, feeling as if his pain would pound right through his skull.

While he slowly rubbed his temples, a white-coated medic came closer with a globe of water; his father turned toward the stranger and took the water from him before dismissing him for now. "How are you, Son?" Vader asked him next, helping him to drink from the globe that he had brought closer to his chapped lips. Luke raised a limp right hand to hold the globe by himself, but his strength once again eluded him.

"Father..." Luke tried after drinking almost half of the offered water. "I... what happened? Why am I...?"

He fell silent when his father rested his gloved left hand on his bare left arm while he set the half-filled globe on a nearby bedside table. Luke then waited for him to speak again, aware that the Sith Lord was trying to prepare him for an important and, apparently, quite unpleasant revelation.

He could feel his father's unease as easily as he could feel the sheets on which he rested.

The weakened youth watched, still silent, while Vader sat on the edge of his bunk, propping his heavy left leg up to balance his bulky weight on the edge of the single bunk. "What do you remember last?"

"Uh..." he hesitated. Whereas he had expected an explanation of some sort as to the circumstances of his awakening, he hadn't expected to be required to provide that explanation through his memory of the previous events. "Well..." he closed his eyes and dug as best as he could into his aching head and the memories that were not exactly coming back to him. "I... I remember being aboard the Death Star..." he began, and as he did so, more images came back to him. "I had been... questioning..." he grimaced at the unpleasant memory of his failure, "There was a female prisoner... Princess Leia Organa. I interrogated her... or tried to," he amended, ashamed of his inability to meet his father's and his master's expectations.

Through the Force, he Felt his father's encouragements to continue. Apparently, he was on the right track.

"You were coaching me..." he went on, feeling more than humbled by those first recollections. While a lot of details were still hazy for him, he clearly remembered that he had been expected to take a further step in the Dark Side, and that he hadn't been able to.

IN fact, he hadn't 'wanted' to.

"Then..." he continued out loud, "Alderaan was destroyed, and the princess was rescued by Kenobi. We followed... to Yavin 4."

There, he frowned hard as the details seemed to slip away from father gently held his left hand in his in silent support.

"A battle," Luke finally saw in his mind's eye. "I was about... to shoot the Jedi... but I got shot myself... and... and..."

Darkness. Nothing. No matter how hard he tried to remember or claw something – anything - out of the mist that had become his brain, he couldn't come up with anything anymore.

When he hesitantly gazed up at his father's impassible mask, he understood that he had been injured from that shot.

"How long was I out?" he asked, closing his eyes once again, and then scowled as other memories resurfaced, but this time, they didn't make sense to him. "I..." he started anew. "I think I dreamt..." He slowly peeled his eyes open once again, his blue orbs searching his father's unreadable mask for a clue or an answer. "Or maybe it was a Vision..." he suggested hopefully, the image of fleeing and/or defeated rebels coming to him. "Did we win?" He finally asked, at a loss for answers of his own.

Beside him, his father straightened slightly before he answered. "We unfortunately lost that battle, but we won others afterwards."

"Afterwards?" Luke scowled in confusion before he remembered his father's comment that he had been unconscious for a while. "How long was I..." he began before he fell silent once again.

More images of his 'dream' had begun to come back to him, and they worried him. In it, he had been a rebel, fighting against the Empire- and the impossible suddenly occurred to him! "Did I... join the Rebellion?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

Although he wished otherwise, his father slowly nodded yet didn't rebuke him in any way.

"How..." he wondered, closing his eyes against the flashes of memories that kept filling his mind: images of battles against stormtroopers, of dogfights against TIE fighters, shooting the imperial pilots to smithereens, of training as a Jedi so as to kill- "No..., no, it can't be..." he moaned in confusion, bringing his hands back to his head while he slowly leaned forward, hunching his shoulders in disgrace and regret.

"The Rebels used you, Son," his father finally explained while he reassured him with a pat on the hand. "After you crashed on Yavin 4, you were unconscious and were suffering from a grave head injury. They captured you, and when you woke up with no memories, they decided to use you for their own ends. They created a heroic role for you, or so I gathered from various... sources including your unconscious, and for that, I apologize," he finished, moving his heavy hand from his hand to his shoulder where he squeezed him slowly, demonstrating what he could of his affection for him.

The boy shuddered in spite of himself and winced when he noticed a still-visible scar on his bare arm. "Balti," he commented as more and definitely unpleasant memories came back to him.

"Torturing you was never my intention, my son... It was my punishment for being obsessed with finding you. Before that trial by fire, I had been hunting only your group instead of following other leads to other rebel groups that would have been easier to eliminate. The Emperor..."

"Made his point, the tyrant," Luke grumbled resentfully- and fell silent when he felt his father's grip tighten minutely in warning.

"He is 'our' master, Child," he rebutted him automatically – but not harshly - yet Luke knew, from experiences that were also coming back to him, that there was no disobeying or disregarding this fact in their lives.

If he ever did, the consequences would be dire, as his father had found out yet again when Darth Sidious had used their relationship to punish his father for caring too much about his son.

"Yes, Father, I'm sorry," he answered, properly contrite.

"For three years," Vader explained, resuming their quiet conversation, all traces of emotions gone from his voice, "you were with the Rebellion. Aware of who you were, they sheltered you, keeping us separated as much as possible. They quickly found out that you excelled at tipping the scales of the war in their favour and they 'really' needed the help, believe me. They even found you a Jedi master."

"Actually," Luke supplied, "Kenobi did... I saw his Force ghost, I think."

His father nodded in comprehension. "I used to hear an old master as well, when I was a Jedi."

"You mean?... I really was a Jedi and not a Sith?" That really confused him now.

To his relief, his father shook his head in negative. "Not yet, but Yoda almost completed the training while keeping you rooted in the Light Side. You are very powerful, Son. You 'will' make the difference in this war, and now, both sides know it."

His father's words brought on a new headache and the youth raised both of his hands to his temples, desperate to alleviate his pain in any way. Unfortunately, however, the Force was not helping this time, but then, it was a mental exercise and he wasn't up to 'that' right now. He let his hands fall back on his bunk and slid lower into the pillow and the blankets. "I don't feel that powerful at all," he grumbled under his breath.

"You have been through much, little one," his father comforted him. "Give yourself time to recover before you judge yourself." The Dark Lord gently rested his hand against Luke's temple and provided him with the relief that he couldn't give himself right now.

Luke sighed in bliss at the welcome relief. "Thank you, Father."

"Anytime, Son, and know that I deeply regret the circumstances of our last encounters. They were never what I wished for," Vader answered, brushed stray hairs from his son's forehead, and then rested his gloved hand against the youth's left cheek. "Rest now. I have to return to the bridge but if you need me, you know how to reach me. If you still can't call on the Force, have the medics call me. We'll talk later."

Luke nodded in agreement, and then silently watched his father straighten up and leave. The medic he had seen earlier, as well as two assistants, then returned to his side and helped him back down to a more comfortable position to rest some more. One of them also offered him the rest of his water and he accepted it without complaints.

While he drank, by himself this time, he dimly considered his answer to his father's claim that he was the key to the war, and he belatedly remembered one of his latest conversation with the princess and how he had given her a similar answer to a similar statement.

He understood that while he was still unconvinced about the depth of his potential and how he could affect the outcome of the galaxy-wide conflict of good versus evil, both sides definitely agreed as to his role in it.

That only left the problem of figuring out what role 'he' wanted to play in it.

* * *

Well? How was that?

If you want more, you know what to do:) And if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you prefer). However, if you simply don't like this 'kind' of story, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Have a great week-end everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long ;P Moreover, this time, they might make me work on this story first for the next year or so ;P So? Will you vote for it? I hope so!


	3. Chapter 3

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2012

* * *

Previously: Vader captured Luke and had a neurologist first erase the rebel's more recent memories before he restored his older ones. Then, Vader used the Force to share his own memories of their allegedly-common past. A month later, Luke awakened, remembering and believing the memories of his life with his father before he crashed-landed on Yavin 4.

* * *

Good evening everyone :)

First of all, thanks to everyone who commented the first posts and/or voted for this story. I'm glad you enjoy it this much already and I hope that your fun will continue with the next addition :)

Here is the third part of the first of eleven stories that I feel like writing, but can't decide which to work on first. Can you help me figure out that answer?

Important! After the fourth part, I will close the first round of the poll and focus/update only the winning story for the next year or so... The other stories will remain available but incomplete until I have finished the winner of your collective choice :)

Said winner will be the story with the most returning readers, reviews and/or alerts and comments through PMs. So, if you like this one, or if this new chapter suddenly makes this story the most interesting of the list, leave a review to vote for it as a whole :) You can also vote more than once for your favorite using PMs ;P

As of today, the vote is heading in the following direction :

1 - Unexpected (478 points)

2- Incarnations (295 points)

3 - The balance of the Force and Deceit are ex aequo (222 points)

In fifth and sixth positions are An Unfortunate Blessing and It is Useless to Resist.

If you want to try and change the vote after reading this new part, you know what to do :)

Thanks for your help! Hope you enjoy this new post as well!

If you do, please, share your thoughts :D

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 2: Imperial or rebel?

Later that day, Darth Vader stood on the bridge of his flagship, quietly watching the ongoing operations without appearing to. As usual, he kept his back turned to the crew pits. Today, however, his attention was split between his distant monitoring of his son's thoughts and the hushed conversations of his underlings.

Although the boy was sleeping, he could feel that his son's mind was not at peace, caught as it was in between his strengthened and his weakened memories. Vader sighed as he found himself forced to accept that, in spite of the numerous sharing trances that he had imposed on the youth before he had awakened, it was exactly like his specialist had said.

Granted, the sharing sessions had at least helped to alleviate Luke's confusion while awake, but it was quite a different matter when he was asleep and under the influence of both his unconscious and subconscious.

Then, of course, there was the fact that his son was still recovering from a brain surgery; despite appearances, or lack thereof, it had been a major intervention/ Luke would need a lot more time than he had already had before he was completely recovered from it.

Until then, the child would remain fragile, at least emotionally-speaking, and his mixed-up memories would not help him any. Granted, the weakened memories didn't dominate his mind anymore, but they were not completely gone either.

Therefore, between the confusing and contradicting memories and his need to physically heal his neural pathways, it was more than understandable that the poor child was at a loss when left to his own thoughts for too long, which was why he was keeping his senses permanently trained on him.

Then, of course, there was the subtle but primordial fact that, whereas the boy used to censure his misgivings about the Emperor per fear of reprimand, his time with the Rebellion had removed all his controlling inhibitions and concerns about being punished for his traitorous thoughts.

That much had been clear the moment that the barely-awakened youth had expressed resentment and possibly even hatred toward Palpatine.

Still, Luke's imperial memories were also very solid, as proven by his proper response to the stern admonishment, and yet, would his son now be rebellious and confident enough to dare move against the Sith master? Or would he still be as subdued as when he had been restrained and controlled by the Emperor?

Like he had told his son, the youth was the key to the end of the conflict, but more importantly, Luke was now the key to their common freedom. Hence, while he would make sure that the boy would never be at risk ever again as far as either the rebels or Palpatine were concerned, he would also do everything in his powers to guide him toward who he truly wanted to be.

He would thus keep him in line for as long as the powerful and resourceful boy wouldn't make his own decision to defeat Sidious. It was not a matter of if anymore, but of when and Vader would wait for him for as long as necessary. Luke simply was the only one who could hope to survive and win against Palpatine.

He was Father's and his own only hope.

Until then, though, he had to keep Sidious' wariness to a minimum so that he wouldn't take any action at an inopportune moment against the powerful youth.

Earlier today, he had reassured the tyrant that Luke had truly been restored to their side and that, even though he was now more adept in the Force than ever, he hadn't completed the training yet. That had comforted Palpatine in his delusions of absolute power and he had magnanimously granted the child an extra two weeks of free time to focus on his recovery. By then, however, Luke would have to be back on his feet and to his old self as the Sith master would then make his final decision regarding the boy's future.

As a result, it was up to Vader to ensure that his son didn't fall back on his rebel thoughts – or at least not yet. The challenge, however, was that those thoughts were tied to his true feelings about the Emperor's tyranny, feelings that he had had even before his rebel escapade.

Yet, in spite of his apparent obedience to their master's command, the father would also look forward to making it obvious to his son that, when the time would be right, he would side with him against Darth Sidious.

How, though, could he pass on that information to his son without either reminding the boy of his past torments or not being construed as a traitor if he misread the youth?

He pondered this question for as long as he didn't sense Luke's presence return to a more alert – and unmistakably alarmed – status.

Upon sensing this, he knew what he had to do and set to it.

* * *

The next time Luke awoke, it was to the horror of his memories about Bespin. He jerked up to a sitting position and whimpered in fright and despair, burying his face in his hands to hide his teary eyes.

A nightmare! He tried to reassure himself, and yet he also knew that it _had_ happened. He hadn't _only_ dreamt that duel against Vader, against... against his father.

His father, he then paused and looked around himself to take stock of his whereabouts. He recognized the private medical room where he had awakened in Vader's watchful presence. His father had said that he had recovered him from the Alliance, which had supposedly used his alleged amnesia to turn him against the Empire and into a Jedi... But had he really been a Sith before Yavin 4? He wondered.

He delved deeper in his mind, forcing himself to remember the events that had preceded the battle of Yavin; when he began to have contradictory memories, he grew more and more perplexed.

What _was_ the truth?

Had he truly embraced the Dark Side before he had forgotten about his identity after crash landing on Yavin 4? But if he had, he frowned in confusion, then why had he also _seen_ Ben on Hoth and Dagobah?

He dimly remembered that Vader had said that he, too, had heard dead Jedi, but only when he had been a Jedi himself. Did it mean that one had to be a Jedi – servant of the Light Side – to see a dead Jedi? Or could any Force user achieve that?

If it was the former, then it meant that...

That he was never a Sith! He concluded even as he embraced that which he _knew_ was true. Vader was lying and the Sith lord _was_ the one trying to use him to his own ends!

He was already planning an escape from the private room where he was kept, away from prying eyes, he belatedly noticed, when he felt the dark presence of his father draw closer.

He reflexively jumped down from the bunk, barely catching his weight on abnormally-weakened legs, and then turned around and focused on his goal to escape.

The moment that the door slid open to allow access to Vader, he reached out and called the other's lightsaber to his hand; he activated its red blade even before it had reached him and securely grabbed the large handle when it swiftly slapped into his extended hand.

"Your plan has failed, Vader. I remember the truth," he spat at him, locking his defiant gaze on the Sith's imposing and menacing figure.

He belatedly noticed that, except for stopping in his steps, the Sith Lord hadn't reacted to his action against him, not even to stop him from acquiring his weapon in the first place.

Luke didn't allow the enemy to play further mind games with him. "You may be my father, but I will never be the Son of Vader," he stated in challenge. Of that, he was certain and he would die before he ever thought otherwise.

The dark lord answered his statement by calmly producing a second lightsaber. He then levitated the deactivated weapon to the empty bunk that stood between them and remained where he stood.

Even though he was adamant to ignore any possible distraction, Luke's eyes reflexively fastened themselves on the unfamiliar cylinder. Illogically, he felt like he should recognize it.

"This is _your_ lightsaber, Son. Your connexion to this weapon cannot be doctored or influenced, as you know from both of your trainings."

In short, Luke understood, from both his supposed Sith training and his actual Jedi training.

Although he had just sworn not to fall for any further mind games, Luke found himself absentmindedly studying the lightsaber handle that glinted, unattended, in the middle of his deserted bunk; even before Vader had explained what it _could_ be, he had felt the pull toward the weapon, the Force bond that drew him to it as if he were a moth and it, the flame.

What could possibly cause 'that' whatever-it-was if not-

"Hold it in your hand and you'll know the truth from the lies," Vader advised quietly, still remaining where he stood in a non-threatening manner. His gauntleted arms were hanging still by his sides, his gloved hands positioned well away from his belt and any other weapon that he could draw on him. As for his Force senses, they were absolutely serene, the very opposite of what they would be if the Sith was preparing a Force attack of some sort.

The Jedi refocused his attention on the mysterious weapon, yet again drawn to it. Although the Force was clearly trying to tell him something, Luke's every instinct was screaming at him not to listen, not to fall for yet another trap, and yet his eyes kept scrutinizing the tantalizing object-

Then, he belatedly recognized his mother's royal crest at the bottom of the handle and he dropped the captured red blade before he barely called the new weapon to his hand. His lightsaber responded promptly, landing in his hand as if it were meant to be there.

Now that he could study it from a closer point of view, he could only gape at it in amazement and recognition.

He _had_ crafted that... He had... trained with it under the watchful eye of the Emperor...

He _had_ been a traitor to his father and his imperial training!..

Whimpering, this time in self-directed despair and horror, he crumpled to his knees, his weakened legs unable to sustain his weight anymore now that the adrenaline had receded from his system. His weapon also became too heavy for his hand and he let his arm fall down, the tip of the handle hitting the deck with a metallic sound.

He wasn't worthy of it anymore, he realized even as he let it slip from his hand. He wasn't... , he trembled uncontrollably, he wasn't...

"I found it on Yavin 4, not far from your wrecked fighter," Vader's baritone voice explained from right beside him.

"Father," Luke whispered, his voice broken by grave concern and confusion as he worriedly gazed up his sire, "How can I?.. What's gonna... I," he began, a thousand urgent questions suddenly pressing themselves into his mind, making him unable to turn any of them into a coherent sentence. "Who am I now?" he finally managed while tears began to run down his cheeks.

He knew the truth now, he really did, and yet, he _had_ fought against the Empire, would even sometimes still fight some of the battles that had truly helped innocents... What did that make him?

His father crouched slowly beside him and rested a supportive hand on his shoulder. "You will have to figure the answer by yourself,Son. However, I can help you remember who you were when we first met. It will make your task easier if you have a starting point from which to make the right decision for you."

Luke gratefully nodded and sought his father's mind while the older man brought his hand to his son's temple and sought his presence in the Force.

Together, they fell back in his buried memories of how he had _become_ an imperial servant.

* * *

_Almost seven years ago..._

It was a day like any other on Tatooine. The two suns rose, the vaporators broke down, the water was rare, and fifteen-year-old Luke Skywalker was bored out of his skull.

Nothing just _ever_ happened on that dust ball that the galactic encyclopaedia dared call a planet.

As always, one of his teachers was droning on about this or that subject that had very little impact on his daily life as the nephew of a moisture farmer. After all, mathematics had never planted crops for anyone, and no matter how many imperial-recommended literary works he read and analyzed, they would not make him a more efficient mechanic at the farm, let alone a better pilot for his future life in the stars.

No, what he should really be learning is how to fly his skyhopper even better than he already did, or how to pilot anything else that could fly for that matter. He also wished that he could learn more about the myriad of alien worlds that floated throughout the galaxy. However, the curriculum that he was submitted to taught very little about other worlds except, perhaps, the core worlds such as Alderaan and, of course, Coruscant and imperial city. As for finding more information on his own, one of the two libraries that would be within his reach had been ransacked by Sandpeople, and the other, at school, offered only copies of books that glorified the Imperial rule and how it handled the alien worlds.

He also lacked access to the holonet as neither his family nor his school were rich enough to afford the expensive connexions.

In short, he was limited to what he was told and taught, and it was boring, boring, and BOOOORRRRIIIINGG.

Worse, he knew that they all those sources of information were very biased in their depictions of the aliens' _barbaric_ cultures and ways of living. However, he would never dare bring that up with anyone for fear of punishment or, worse, being further ostracized than he already was by his classmates.

Still, what did the other 'lesser-rated' worlds really look like? He wondered

He was daydreaming about amazingly-lush landscapes of unbelievable colours and sweet smells, his gaze locked on the far away horizon and the occasional movement that took place there, when the current passerby drew his attention back to the here and now.

If he was not mistaken, that was a transport speeder – no, more than one - headed their way.

He slowly straightened from his forward slouch even as a strange tingle ran up his spine and settled at the nape of his neck. Something was about to happen. He didn't know why, or how, but he had felt like that often enough to know that it was a warning that something really out of the ordinary was about to take place.

The last times that it had happened, his tingle had been triggered by the Sandpeoples., Thanks to his t_ickle,_ the whole community of Anchorhead had been warned fast enough to raise their shields and stop the raid before it had happened. The early alert system had yet again been too clogged up with sand to work properly.

Right now, though, the approaching curiosity was obviously not related to the familiar raiders because they never used transports like that. So who could it be? He wondered next. The very occasional delivery speeder had never ever raised his sixth sense like that, nor had any other type of transport speeder for that matter.

So what was it-

"Luke Skywalker!" the teacher's voice suddenly called loudly in irritation.

The teenager started despite himself and focused back on reality and the inside of his classroom. His teacher was suddenly standing just in front of his desk and, from her looks alone, he knew that she, like his uncle, had enough of his constant daydreaming.

He sheepishly looked at her and tried to avoid further trouble. "Huh, yes?.."

Around him, his classmates didn't try to hide their smirks and chuckles of amusement. He glared askance at them before he refocused his attention on his upset teacher.

"Unless there's a herd of banthas about to trample this school, there is 'nothing' interesting outside. Keep your attention inside!"

Although he wanted to be ironic and agree with her statement about their surroundings – or Tatooine in general – he merely nodded in obedience and forced himself to pay attention to her words.

He was once again drifting off when, just like he had known, something _way_ out of the ordinary happened.

* * *

Barely two hours after he had begun to have the Creeps, Luke Skywalker, along with all the boys aged fourteen and older of the Anchorhead community, had been taken from their pitiful lives. At school, they had been round up from their classrooms and forced aboard the imperial transport speeders that had already shown up at every farmstead of the community before the convoy had finished its mission in the school's courtyard.

Little explanation had been provided to either the boys or their teachers. The imperial officers had merely waved at the adults an official edict drawn more than ten years ago and the adults had had no choice but to let them do as they wished with the children.

Any resistance from the teachers would have landed the adults in detention or perhaps worse.

After that legal formality had been dealt with, there had been strangled cries and pleas for mercy from both the youngest new conscripts and the adults responsible for them, but to no avail. The Mos Eisley recruitment center hadn't been making its recruiting quota and so, its commander had decided to resort to conscription, starting with the furthest communities where the impact of his decision would have the least consequences in the grander scheme of things.

For Luke, though, as well as for every other boy who had been crammed aboard the already-overheated transport, this unexpected change in their lives had more than grave consequences; it was putting an end to the life that they had always known without even giving them a choice as to whether they _wanted_ that change or not.

They were also bereft of the ability to actually choose what change they might like to experience.

Wedged tightly between the closed rear hatch and surrounding classmates, Luke did his best not to suffocate from either the oppressing heat, the unyielding pressure of the surrounding bodies, or even his own fear regarding what was awaiting them. Would they be drafted into the Stormtrooper corps? Would he be forced to fight and kill for the Empire? Would he stay on Tatooine and perform menial work at the garrison? Or would he be taken off-world? Or worse, would he be enslaved like he had heard happened to alien citizens the galaxy over?

Since he lived on a tenth-rate planet, the lowest rating possible for an inhabited planet in the galaxy, he wouldn't be surprised if the imperials didn't differentiate them from alien citizens. After all, aliens were only slightly more disregarded than they, tenth raters.

Would his aunt and uncle ever learn what had happened to him? He wondered next. Would he ever see them again? And how was he supposed to act right now? Should he be resisting? Subservient? Or panicked like several other young boys were?

He closed his eyes and called up his mental picture of his father: strong, brave, and not intimidated by anyone or anything. How would Anakin Skywalker react in such a situation?

He was still pondering that question, mostly because he knew very little about his father, when the transport came to an abrupt halt, making everyone around him loose their balance yet again. Those closest to the hull, like him, found themselves squeezed further against it, feeling its heat against their unprotected face and hands.

Luke reflexively pushed away and against the weight of the recovering dense mass, and then suddenly tumbled forward when the hatch swiftly rose up to let them out. He was the first out, unceremoniously pitching forward after losing the counterweight against which he had been pushing; he managed to somewhat tuck and roll to protect himself from a rough landing, but the impact still knocked his breath from his lungs. He yelped and groaned at the steep fall, and then raised his head and glared in frustration at the watching and chuckling ex-students and imperials. His only relief was that he hadn't been the only one falling from the over-packed transport.

Yet, he could still have done without the undignified and most memorable entrance that he had just performed in a life that he had not even chosen for himself.

He was still picking himself up and brushing off the sand from his tunic when the guards moved forward and pulled him to his feet before pushing him none-too-gently toward waiting ensigns.

The moment that he was within reach of one, the young adult roughly grabbed LUke's hand and, without any explanation, pressed his right thumb against a scanning device. Luke winced when he felt something prick his thumb. While he recovered from his latest shock, Luke studied his new surroundings and understood, from the number of troopers and armed imperial presents, that while he had decided to be strong and not show his doubts and fears to the imperials, he was also better advised to behave and wait for their instructions before doing anything else.

The visible organization of the courtyard, with temporary electronic desks behind which gathering areas had been established with laser guides, made it obvious that they meant to separate the boys in different groups. Based on what, however, Luke didn't have a clue.

Focusing back on the ensign, he straightened up and waited for the other to direct him toward one of the three registration station that were waiting for them.

Behind him, the other boys had been pushed into a waiting line; those that tried to misbehave were quickly subdued and controlled by the watching stormtroopers. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, Luke wondered if Biggs had been at school today; he hadn't seen him at all either a school and he couldn't see him now either.

A grunting noise attracted his attention back to the scanning officer. "Luke Skywalker? From the Lars homestead?" he inquired, and Luke reluctantly nodded in answer. The ensign handed him a chip before he directed him toward one of the three registration desks.

While he obeyed, Luke dimly wondered if there was a line that led to the flight academy, but he didn't get his hopes up. He had never heard of conscripts becoming pilots.

"Chip," the second ensign behind the makeshift registration station barked the moment that the boy was within hand reach.

Doing his best to control his trembling muscles, Luke produced the datachip that he held in his right hand.

"Ah, a trained mechanic. Good. Change clothes," he said even as the boy was handed a grey coverall and cap, along with black boots and a belt before he was shoved again, this time in the waiting area prepared behind the registration desk. "Behave and all will be well, Kid."

"I want to be a pilot!" Luke blurted out before it was too late. Who knew, it might be his one and only chance to make his dream come true.

While the stormtroopers were already struggling harder to push him onward, the registrar held up a hand to stop them. "The piloting program is restricted to volunteers. However, you might get in when you're eighteen _and_ based on exemplary service records, starting as of now. If you fulfil those criteria, you'll have to ask for a recommendation from your commanding officer who will then submit your request for transfer."

"Right," Luke grumbled, disgruntled; before he had stopped himself, he had fallen back on his whining habit. "I'm old enough to fix and maintain the imperial ships and mechanical technology, but not for-"

A vicious whack behind the head silenced him and he winced at the black stars that appeared before his eyes while he gingerly rubbed the back of his head. He could already feel the bump that was forming there.

Meanwhile, the registrar shook his head and stood up until he could loom over the much smaller teenager. "In case you don't know, Kid, rebellion of any form is punished, as you just found out. As for betrayal and sabotage, they warrant immediate execution, just so you know if you are ever tempted to misbehave."

With that, Luke was pushed again in the back. This time, he didn't resist, his head still ringing from the trooper's armored backhanding while his hopes and dreams had been almost completely crushed.

He was an imperial now. What would his father think if he were here?..

After changing clothes and stashing his tunic in the carrying bag that he was handed with his uniform, he did his best to ignore the leers and jeers of passing imperials as he and other boys were forced to strip down in the middle of the courtyard. Meanwhile, he patiently waited for the next part of his registration and sat in the hot sand. He didn't care, however, feeling thoroughly dejected and more than a little concerned about his predicament.

Others did just like him and sat listlessly on their own while few others stood together and shared their fears about the upcoming situation.

Luke then looked around at the other gathering and lasered areas and noticed that everyone who were eighteen years old or older were sent aboard waiting carrier transports that were very closely guarded by several stormtroopers. As for those that didn't make the cut for his group, they were gathered at the far end of the compound.

They were twice as numerous as Luke's group, which seemed to be related to the Tech corps, at least if the ensign's comment was anything to go by.

"Where are they taking them, you think?" someone asked in the silence of their group.

"Carida," someone else answered. "They're slated for the trooper program."

"They're dead," someone else grunted and stepped closer before he sat on the hot sand. "At least we're not going to the battlefront."

"Or to the kitchens," Luke agreed with the unfamiliar older boy, nodding in the direction of the third group where he recognized students who had no special skills of their own to offer. It could only mean that they were going to be assigned to the regular crew that had no particular training of any kind.

"Yeah, but why did they-"

"Attention, recruits," their registrar snapped and all the youths startled at his sudden presence near them. "Form ranks and stand at attention. I will not repeat myself."

Luke and the other boys that had sat down scrambled to their feet while the standing ones separated in loose rows. They were a total of twenty two recruits in the group and they formed four rows that were more or less straight.

"From now on, when an officer walks by you, you salute, and when ordered to, you stand at attention like right now. Shoulders and back straighter." He scolded them, straightening the posture of those that were not making it past his criteria of satisfaction.

"You farmboys are already skilled and accomplished technicians as proven by your homesteads' reports and your academic results in all connected fields. His royal highness, our high and mighty Emperor, commands your immediate service. This situation will last for as long as necessary."

"What about our families?" A boy of the second row asked even as he raised his hand like they normally did with their teachers.

The nameless ensign stepped right into his face and stared him down. "It's _Sir_, and you only ask questions when authorized, am I clear?"

The youths nodded in subdued fear.

"I didn't hear you!"

"Yes... Sir," were the numerous and uncoordinated answers that he drew from the nervous new recruits.

"Good. Louder next time. Your families will or have already been informed that the Emperor and the Empire is now your new legal guardian. You will be taken care of, fed, clothed, trained, schooled, and even paid if you prove yourselves trustworthy during your three-month probation. As servants of the Empire, you will also benefit from the holonet, from free access to various forms of entertainment during your free time, as well as from access to other amenities that you could only dream of if you remained here. Just remember: the Empire is your new family. Your future colleagues are your new brothers and your superiors are your authoritarian parents. Do not discuss their orders, do not stray from your assigned duties and, when off-duty, stay where you have clearance to spend your free time. Any questions?"

An older boy raised his hand.

The officer stood before him and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Will we see our families again?"

The adult remained silent and Luke realized that he was waiting for something.

"Sir?" the inquirer added uncertainly.

The adult nodded in approval and shrank back to a more normal size. "If you ever earn leave time here, or if you arrange for a rendezvous where you get leave, then you will see them again. Otherwise, your new family is aboard your assigned ships where you will now be taken." He let his portent words settle in their young minds, waited a little longer for further questions, and then raised the datapad that he had been carrying in his hand. "One of those ships is in orbit right now and in need of a new mechanics. Luke Skywalker," he read the name at the top of the list of the new mechanics. "Step forward."

Uncertain all of a sudden, Luke threw nervous glances at the boys that were all silently searching for the teenager that had thus been singled out. Those that knew him locked eyes on him and tried to send him silent encouragement; he was as scared as they were and they were all aware of it. Then, he caught sight of the impatient adult and understood that he had no choice but to obey.

Doing his best to appear tall and confident despite his diminutive stature and widened blue eyes, the boy stepped out of ranks and toward the impatient imperial officer.

"Faster next time, Kid," he admonished him and pointed at a pilot who was standing at attention on the side. "He's all yours."

Luke was then pushed again into motion, toward the waiting pilot this time.

Unlike him, the adult pilot had a blaster and his hand was resting on the butt of the weapon. Luke understood the implicit warning and quickly fell in step behind the adult who strode toward the landing area and a small shuttle that waited on a landing pad.

Once aboard, Luke was unceremoniously pushed into the passenger seat behind the co-pilot, and then heard the pilot grumble something about babysitting to his colleague.

Aware that his young age and even younger appearance were already causing him problems, Luke silently settled in the seat and fastened his crash webbing around his small frame. He could have argued that he didn't want to be here either, or that he was their _little_ _brother_ now, but somehow, he knew that if he opened his mouth, the upset pilot would use that excuse to lash out and allegedly 'punish' him for disobedience.

Thus, he sat as quietly as possible, wringing his hands in nervousness while he wondered what was going to happen next. He also tried to keep his hanging legs still but since they were not long enough to reach the deck, it was hard not to swing them back and forth in unease.

Meanwhile, the shuttle lifted off and quickly climbed for altitude, leaving Tatooine behind. Luke wished that he could sit closer to the only viewport, but he knew better than to stand up and risk upsetting the main pilot further.

"We're taking you aboard the Devastator, Kid," the co-pilot commented and pointed at the approaching triangular shape of a Star Destroyer. "It is Lord Vader's flagship. It is the best and the fastest destroyer of the fleet, so you make sure it stays that way," he warned him, throwing a meaningful glance over his left shoulder. When their eyes met, Luke understood that the other pilot, who was much younger than the first, was trying to impart important information to him before they landed.

"Lord Vader is the second-in-command of the Empire and first commander of the fleet. He is most exacting and tolerates nothing but absolute precision and perfection. Anything less is-"

"Punished, I bet," Luke finished, already annoyed by that simple but very obvious threat.

"So are wit and disobedience, Kid," the co-pilot retorted, and Luke definitely had the feeling that the older boy was trying to take him under his wing for as long as he could.

The large ray-shielded hatch of a hangar bay then loomed closer and the young man had to refocus his attention on his piloting.

The main pilot, for his part, led the landing with a confident hand. Luke envied him his self-confidence and professionalism, at least until the man turned around and sneered in disgust at him. "Welcome to the Empire, _Kid_."

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that? How did you like the way the truth was revealed/confirmed? How Luke was drafted in ? What do you think will happen next? (other than his eventually meeting daddy, of course ;P) Oh, and now you know where the title of the fic comes from :) What do you think?

If you want more, you know what to do:) Or, if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you prefer). However, if you simply don't like this 'kind' of story because it's not your style, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Have a great week everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long :) Moreover, this time, they will help determinate on which story I will work first for the next year or so will you vote for this one? I hope so!


	4. Chapter 4

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2012

* * *

Good afternoon everyone! First of all, thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! Your comments really meant a lot to me! I hope you'll continue to have fun reading this next part

Thanks as well for the favorites and alerts. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my ability to entertain you and I hope to one day read your thoughts in more details :)

* * *

_Previously_: Vader captured Luke and had a neurologist first erase the Rebel's more recent memories before he restored his older ones. Then, Vader used a Force trance to share his own memories of their common past before Luke's accident on Yavin 4. After receiving irrefutable proof of those memories in the form of his very own Sith lightsaber, the young man entered a memory-strenghtening trance with his father who shared everything he knew about how Luke joined the Empire, when he was conscripted in the tech corps at 15 years old.

* * *

Here is the fourth part of the first of eleven stories that I felt like writing, but couldn't decide which to work on first.

After a whole summer of leaving the choice up to you, my valued readers, The Balance of the Force finished 3rd. Therefore, while I will still add to this story on few occasions a year (like during vacation times), my focus will be on other stories for now. However, you know how to make me want to add more to this faster, right? ;P

Yup, you got it ;) You have to hit the button at the bottom of this post and do your reader thing :)

Please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts :D

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Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 4: Imperial conscript

Barely two hours after meeting his assigned officer and being given a quick orientation course on the internal organisation of the ship and how he had to behave if he wanted to stay out of trouble, Luke was already put to work, his stern staff chief watching him like a hawkbat.

Even though his first task was only to fix the wheels of an astrodroid, his gruff chief, who went by the name of Metthiews, hovered warily as if Luke were hands deep into the central computer core of the Empire itself. Fortunately, the teenager not only had a lot of experience fixing stuck wheels, but he also managed to focus only on his menial task so that he wasn't distracted by the man's obnoxious presence. Luke also silently proved how professional he truly was by taking care of any previously-forgotten detail before the older man could criticize him about them.

In short, Luke made a very good first impression even though his chief, who greatly doubted his _alleged_ skills until he had proven himself, tried his best to catch him at fault so that he could send him packing to the service department.

If Luke wasn't thrilled to have been drafted into the fleet as a mere tech instead of a pilot, he most certainly had no interest of being transferred to the laundry or, worse, the kitchen or the janitorial departments. That would push him even further away from a cockpit, not to mention that it would bore him even worse than watching crops grow or listening his Basic teacher's monotone drawling back home.

Still, proving himself trustworthy and able was not enough for his chief and the older man remained with him for the rest of the long, way-too-long day. Indeed, since the the fleet ran on Coruscant standard time, and that this standard time had a thirteen-hour difference with Tatooine's, his first day as an unwilling imperial was not only demanding but also one of the longest in his short life.

By the time that he was _finally_ allowed to go to his quarters, which he shared with three older techs, he crumpled on his hard bunk, unable to stand on his feet anymore. He had struggled against his tiredness so as to get _some_ food – if the insipid gruel he had eaten could be called that – into his system before he went to sleep. After that, however, had retired straight to his assigned quarters, completely bypassing the recreation area where the low-ranking crewmen like himself were allowed to spend their time off.

However, even though he could finally get off his feet and simply close his eyes and give free reign to his exhaustion, his mind was still too riled up and his emotions, too undealt with, for him to simply fall asleep.

No, instead, he worried about his aunt, who was undoubtedly dying with concern even though she had probably been told by now about his new _career_.

He made a note to himself to write to her as soon as possible. He wished he could call her right away, but sadly, even though holo or even real-time communications were now within his reach, they still weren't within hers.

He then also thought back on his first day spent aboard a ship that was so big that it housed a permanent crew and contingent of troops of nearly fifty thousand souls. It was almost as many people as the whole of Mos Eisley! He had never thought that so many people could fit into one single ship, and he was one of them now.

One of them... an imperial... tech, he finished, disgruntled.

While he and his best friend Biggs always dreamed of joining the Academy on Carida and become fighter pilots, hence become imperials anyway, they had never really stopped to consider what serving the Empire really meant. But then, he shrugged to himself, he had always had the feeling that, once they had their piloting permits, they would only serve their dues before starting a private business together or perhaps even... leave the Empire, if that could be possible.

Now, though, not only had Luke been conscripted for as long as the Empire needed him – which would last forever if the day's load of work was any indication – but, as a conscript of the fleet's Support Branch, he wouldn't even be given military training of any kind.

Although orientation hadn't explained why it was so, Luke was still experienced enough in the ways of the powerful that he understood that it was just another way for the Empire to limit the risk of rebellion from his conscripts; without proper training, their knew that their tech conscripts would never be able to outfight the professionally trained troopers and officers that surrounded them. However, it also meant that, should there be intruders aboard, Luke would also be unable to defend his life if need be.

In short, while the Empire would see to the rest of his basic schooling and would even provide him with opportunities to learn more about how to do his tech work even better than he already did, he would also remain as helpless as he had been today when they had come into his life and had taken control of it.

Except for what they saw fit for him, and a pay – eventually – he would not get anything out of this deal, and most certainly not what he was truly interested in.

He didn't want to be a tech, he grumbled inwardly and turned on his side until he faced the side wall. He didn't want to live on a ship yet never see the stars and all their wonders... He wanted to be a pilot, or he wanted to be home with his aunt, and even with his grumpy uncle, as unbelievable as it might seem.

Tears of despair and sadness finally flooded his eyes and he furiously brushed them away. No, he wouldn't cry, he heartened himself. He was not a kid anymore.

The Empire had also decided _that_ for him.

They had decided _everything_ for him, just like his superior would from now on... and Luke couldn't do anything except behave, and obey his orders, and fall into ranks even when off duty... and always excel in his duty.

It was his one and very slim chance of ever setting foot in a cockpit in three years from now.

It was his goal now, the only thing that mattered besides reassuring his aunt as soon as possible.

Eventually, he fell asleep, too exhausted to think anymore. He was unaware anymore when new tears of sorrow and regret slid down his cheeks.

* * *

Four months after that fateful day, Luke had managed to somewhat adapt to his new life aboard the star destroyer Devastator even though he hadn't exactly found his _place_ in it yet.

Indeed, while Chief Metthiews had finally understood that he would not be getting rid of the Kid anytime soon – especially when the boy was commended by their lieutenant for the quality of his work despite his short time in service in Maintenance tech team 22 (MTT22 for shorts) – Luke still had a hard time fitting in with the much older men that were part of his work team, MTT22-D. When it wasn't because he was too young to be part of their conversations, it was either because he had different interests than the more tolerant adults, or because the rest of his colleagues despised him and his natural aptitudes that bested even their trained skills.

He was also the only conscript of group D, meaning that all his colleagues had chosen to join the FSB of their own free will; while some of the fifty men of MTT22D were there per lack of choice, most of them loved their job and the conditions offered by the Empire. Thus, except for their yearning to have more free time than what they were granted, the older men wouldn't have it otherwise.

As for their leave time, they either arranged to see their families, which naturally excluded Luke from possibly accompanying them, or else to paint the local taverns red, something that Luke also couldn't take part to because of his young age.

Then, of course, none of the other men had school assignments and compulsory readings to do like he did. That meant that while they were completely free to do as they pleased whenever they were off-duty, Luke was not. Although he was given free reign over his self-learning and that there was no precise timetable to respect so that he could arrange voluntary studying time whenever he could while still accomplishing his duty, it was also up to him to be rigorous in his schedule so that he didn't fall into the trap of neglecting his studies and thus, never finish his remaining courses _and_ get his paramount basic degree.

It was simply one of the pre-requisites to be even tested for the pilot program, so he was determined to not only finish it, but to do so as fast as he could so that he could also benefit from the post-degree courses that would allow him to improve his knowledge of technology.

For all those reasons, the teenager had taken to staying in the pretty much-deserted library room where he could focus on his studies without being disturbed. After each successful assignment or exam, however, he rewarded himself by taking part to the flight simulators hologame and competition that took place after the dayshifts in the recreation room. However, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as flying his second hand skyhopper back home and he also turned out to be such a great pilot even in that context that the proud and/or arrogant adults quickly decided to banish the kid from their line-up; they just hated being humiliated by a mere kid.

_Kid_. How Luke despised that moniker now. Nobody bothered to learn his name, or even his surname like they did every other adult. No, in his case, they all learnt right away that he was just _Kid_.

At first, Luke had tried to prove himself more mature than they believed him to be, not relying on any of them or even asking anything that could make them think that he was searching for a father figure amongst their lot. Unfortunately, though, the more he had tried to be their equal, the better and more proficient at his job he had become, and the more the adults had resented him for making them look bad in their reports as well as in the recreation area.

That was just unfair because he couldn't help who he was and how _good_ he was with anything with wires. It was also hard not to argue with them when a confrontation erupted, far away from the Empire's watchful eyes, but since he needed a perfect record if he ever wanted his long-term goal to come true, he stoically bore it up and _behaved_ - just in case a patrol came by and reported the incident and his behavior with the others. That being said, he didn't purposefully put himself in that kind of situation and did his best to remain in the areas where the bullies couldn't covertly corner him.

Still, the fact remained that he had always been good with mechanics, even before he had learnt to walk if he could believe his aunt on the subject. He just _knew_ what to do to fix and even improve whatever mechanic came within his reach nowadays. Thus, he was _not_ going to be worse than he could just to satisfy those selfish men who didn't care about the quality of their work.

Besides, they were only there for the pay and the good conditions, meaning that they could leave if they didn't like it anymore. In his case, though, he couldn't leave until allowed to and would even be _forced_ to give up on his dreams if he had anything but perfect scores across the board until he was eighteen years old and could finally apply for a transfer to the piloting academy.

In short, they had a choice where he didn't.

Granted, there were some older men – those with families – who were kinder with him and seemed to understand what he had been forced into. however, they never cared enough to help him when the bullies came looking for him.

He was on his own, and that was that, and while he was never attacked physically - as punishment for in-fighting scared even the older men into submission – they still managed to make his life miserable with their comments, allusions and threats of setting him up for a punishment if he didn't stay away from this or that, and basically out of their hair.

Chief Metthiews was amongst those bullies, too, and since Luke was not authorized to talk to the man's superior officer, he decided, at the end of his three-month-long probation, to volunteer for the next opening in the night shift so that he could be off duty and at least eat and sleep in peace while the others weren't around.

His change of sub-team was almost immediate as several night workers were always asking to return to the day shift.

Naturally, it increased his loneliness and isolation since the rest of his new team was quartered in another subdivision of the living area, but it was still a small price to pay for recovering some peace of mind and any possible tidbit of happiness he could still find in his daily routine. Even better, with his internal clock still set on Tatooine's time, it was easier for him than for anybody else to adapt to a night schedule, so the peculiar waking and sleeping hours _really_ weren't a problem for him.

Thus, he slept, he ate, and he studied until his shift began, and then he worked at night on maintaining droids and stations in perfect working order. He was so good in his duties that he sometimes even had time to begin the workload of the next day, which helped him a bit to smooth down ruffled older feathers.

The night chief, Vick Kapal, was much younger than Chief Metthiews and, although disgruntled for being stuck with the night shift until a day chief obtained a transfer or a promotion, he was attentive to his charges' particular motivations and reasonable needs in regard to their duties and he made sure that they were fairly content with their given assignments and personal challenges. In Luke's case, he quickly came to treat the hopeful and reluctantly collaborative boy as he would a little brother.

Of course, he wasn't any less demanding with him than with the others, but at least he called him by his first name, he made sure that no one harassed him while he was on-duty, and he made certain to keep the young boy within a _territory_ where he became a familiar sight and well-valued asset rather than spreading his duties all over the destroyer like chief Metthiews had. He also kept him in the bow end of the ship, as far away as possible from the rear end where pompous grunts and high-ranking officers regularly roamed.

Indeed, in the rear end of the ship, the sight of a boy his age constantly raised eyebrows and caused multiple security checks if not detention even though he had all the proper IDs and authorization forms on him.

Security was simply tight on Lord Vader's new flagship, and especially in the areas where the Dark Lord could be encountered at any turn. No one wanted to be caught lacking while in his presence, hence even though conscripting boys of Luke's age was legal as far as the FSB and the Empire were concerned, no one expected to see them on the bridge of the ship of the Empire's second-in-command, let alone within sight of their irascible lord.

It just wasn't done.

Of course, Vick took all those precautions more out of concern for his own records as a supervisor than for the boy's well-being, but it still worked well for Luke and he welcomed this extra form of respite. Besides, the less interruption Luke dealt with, the more efficient he was, and that reflected well on both of them, turning him into Vick's ticket back to the day shifts while his chief also helped Luke acquire all the good marks he needed to fulfill his own long-term goal.

Still, despite all those positive change, Luke merely went through the motions, needing to remind himself daily about his ultimate goal and his countdown: in two years and a half, all his efforts and obedience would lead him to the cockpit of a fighter.

He had also finally begun a secondary course concerning TIE Fighters specs and maintenance; his excellent results had exceptionally opened that door for him, along with Vick's word of reference. Even though he would soon complete it, he would still have to wait until he was sixteen before he could take the seldom-offered test from the Flight Branch and ask for a transfer toward their maintenance unit.

Still, it was the best he could do for now, so he did it while keeping his goal firmly in mind.

In the meantime, when he finally received his first pay, two months after the end of his probation period because of his change of department – or so he was told by human resources when he had inquired - he made sure to only keep leisure money for himself while sending the rest of it to his aunt and uncle; while his leisure money would mostly serve to buy better meals than the ones he was provided free of charge, his aunt and uncle could use the rest of his pay to hire a helping hand and replace the assistance that he had provided while with them at the farm. Thanks to his extra income, they could finally keep at bay the starvation and drought that had been threatening them since his leaving.

It was a small relief that at least some good came from his disguised slavery.

* * *

That day, Luke was yet again in the library, immersed in his learning of the last level of Basic grammar that he had to complete. He was sitting at the only station that was located in a deserted corner that held cards of so little interest to the rest of the crew that they had collected a thick cover of dust over the years. It was there that, when late afternoon came, that Luke retired for his daily studies until he had to report for duty.

Like usual, his utility belt was already prepared for the night, he had eaten an earthy breakfast after waking up around 1500, and he was awake enough to be able to focus on his studies.

He was pondering hard how to apply the particularly complex verb tense he was reading about when his comlink vibrated in his breast pocket. Frowning, the teenager drew it out with his right hand while he used his left finger to point where he had been reading before the interruption.

"Yes, Sir?" he answered briefly like the respectful and deferent tech he had to be.

"Luke, this is Vick," his shift officer identified himself. "If you're available right now, I think you'll like what didn't get done today. Report to my office right away."

"Yes, Sir."

Perplexed yet aware that Chief Kapal would not contact him like this unless he really had something of great interest for him, the boy shut off his comlink and grammar book. He then stashed both away and picked up his discarded utility belt before he made his way out of the deserted library.

* * *

When he reached Vick's assigned office, which was more like a re-affected large closet than an office worthy of the name, day shift chief Metthiews was still arguing with his younger counterpart that the _kid_ was not ready for a certain type of assignment.

Luke quietly saluted and moved to give them some privacy but Vick called him in, pointedly ignoring the upset older man.

"Here, Luke. The flight simulator room closes at 1700. If you want to work on it tonight, you have to get in before then. Will you be all right with this task?"

Luke, who was still reeling from the words flight, simulator and room pronounced in the same sentence while addressed to him, nodded numbly while he took the proffered pad that held all the details of the assignment.

Vick smirked knowingly at him. "Make sure to test your repairs before you leave."

"Yes, Sir," he saluted, nodded in thanks at his understanding superior, and then turned on his heels before leaving a spluttering Chief Metthiews behind. He then heard him threaten Vick of discipline for that, to which Vick retorted that there would be no need because the job would be doneeven better than if they waited for the next day shift to begin.

Heartened by the tacit support of his supervisor, Luke stepped further away and made sure that he had everything he needed to perform the necessary repairs. Then, once he had retrieved all the tools he needed, he walked quickly out of the tech station and into the turbolift that would take him to the area of the simulator room indicated on the pad's screen.

As usual when he arrived at the unfamiliar location, he had to show his ID card and security clearance – low as it was – and even his work orders so as to be even allowed inside the room where he had to perform the repair.

Then, he was led to the malfunctioning simulator and, after preparing his diagnostic tools, began running tests on it.

When the shift of the ensign on watch ended, the bored man left him alone with his equipment as Luke dug deep into the simulator systems and mechanical parts, sweating and grunting while he strained against recalcitrant bolts in order to gain access to the simulator's wiring.

He was then so focused on his task of fixing the problem with the sim's mechanism, for once looking forward to the immediate results and the chance to test his skills in a real military simulator, that he didn't even notice that nearly four hours had gone by when he finally closed the panel once again.

If his tests were correct, he had not only repaired the problem but he had even improved the simulator's performing precision by at least twenty per cent.

He was confident that he wouldn't need to dig again in that panel even after he truly tested the simulator from the pilot's seat.

He eagerly cleaned his grimy hands on the wipes that were part of his basic work kit, took a moment to check the code that he had been given along with his assignment, and then turned toward the waiting installation.

Round in shape and steel grey of color, the simulator shone inconspicuously under the overhead lights. Of course, unlike real fighters, it didn't have any weapon or even an engine, but its ability to simulate flight in 0-g space was well-known and appreciated by even seasoned pilots.

It was, he had heard, as close to the real deal as a pilot could get.

Unable to wait any longer, he jumped into the open simulator, put the helmet on and strapped in even as the cockpit of the simulator closed, sealing him inside. He then called up a basic program – he wouldn't push his luck and risk being locked out of this special occasion by overstepping his bounds – and tightened his hands around the flight stick while his feet rested on the engine pedals.

He was ready... he was ready... he was-

He pulled the stick to the left to avoid a first volley of X-Wing fire - and started upon feeling the real gs pulling at him while he performed a tight u-turn. He then blasted the X-Wing out of the sky.

"Whooo-ooh!" he cheered out loud before he could stop himself.

He didn't wait after that and went after the four approaching Rebel fighters and creamed the lot out of them.

This was even more awesome than he had ever thought possible!

* * *

Four hours later, and after sonic shower, and a meal, and even some studying to try and change his thoughts, he was _still_ trying to get some sleep. Unfortunately, though, he was just too wired up from his out-of-this-world experience to think about anything but how to repeat it.

He was also unable to just empty his mind and finally fall asleep.

When he had returned with the technical recordings of the simulator's performance during his test, Vick had promised him that he would now put him on the simulator detail. However, the chances of _that_ _assignment_ occurring often while on the night shift were next to nil as most of the simulator work was done during the day and rarely overlapped into the night shifts like it had today.

He also couldn't return to the simulator without _that_ reason to explain his presence there; except for the occasional tech that repaired them, the sims could only be accessed by the registered and certified pilots.

Worse, the code that techs were given for their test runs were temporary and automatically cancelled after they handed in their report. Consequently, he'd need to be both a pilot and in the system before he could ever hope of using a sim again outside of a tech assignment.

That was next to _impossible_, he groaned inwardly.,Yet, the idea just wouldn't leave him alone.

Now, he already knew that he could pretend to be a brand-new pilot if he had the right uniform. However, getting a valid code that would be permanent while not attracting unwanted attention... Now, that would be trickier.

He tried to sleep on the problem, to no avail.

* * *

Nearly two weeks after working on the simulator, he was still mulling over his problem whenever he was off duty, and sometimes even while he was working. Some of his assignments were just so easy and boring that he could split his concentration and focus on his more important conundrum while he trusted his automatic knowledge to handle the current repair.

His fingers simply knew how to fuse the wires, his eyes knew what to look for to fix this or that traditional glitch and so, he didn't even have to think about the solution anymore.

_Flying_ again, though... Now there was a problem he didn't know how to resolve.

He had already ruled out asking for help from Vick. The guy was too one-minded on getting transferred or promoted to help him with his indiscretion in any way. As for asking anyone else, well... he didn't have anyone else.

He was on his own, and that was it.

Perhaps he should just give up on his hope and wait to join the Academy, or even simply wait for the next time that Flight Branch finally held a transfer test so that he could at least join their TIE-assigned techs. As one of them, he would at least get to fly the fighters after he had repaired them.

Yeah, he grimaced inwardly, perhaps he should just be patient, and yet...

Nope, it didn't work; he just _couldn't_ get _it_ out of his head.

"Next!" the clerk behind the distribution counter called, bringing Luke back to the here and now.

After showing up for duty with a dirty uniform because he had run out of clean ones, Vick had told him to get an extra one just for that kind of situation and that he should never – ever – show up in a dirty uniform as he never knew when an inspection would await him upon showing up for duty.

Since the older youth knew of how ardently the teenager yearned for an authorized transfer to the flight academy when the time came, and that only a perfect record regarding even the slightest of details would get him there, he shared all the tips he could think of to save the youth from getting even one wrong comment on his record.

Showing his ID even before the older man had dismissed him as a family visitor of a superior officer trying to play a trick on him, Luke requested a uniform his size. Then, while he waited, and that he noticed the neatly folded pilot uniforms in the storage compartments behind the man, an idea came to him.

It was a very devious idea, and one that could easily get him into trouble and ruin any of his hopes of ever getting into the Academy, but something in him encouraged him to move with it anyway. Before he had formed a coherent plan for the rest, he blurted out: "I'll also need a pilot uniform for my friend."

The clerk naturally frowned at him. Although inter-unit friendships weren't commonplace, they weren't unheard of either; the mess hall could be conducive to surprising results, or so everyone knew.

Luke gave him his best innocent and earnest smile. "He's got an inspection coming up tomorrow but you know how they are: they warn them and then they keep them stuck in the simulators or in their fighters. He hasn't and still won't have time to come by before tomorrow so he asked me if I could pick it up for him while I'm also here."

The man seemed to consider his explanation before he shrugged and asked for his friend's size.

Luke asked for a size one point bigger than his so that the other would not become suspicious. "Thanks, you're a life-saver!"

"Just this once, though, Kid. Warn your pilot friend that he'll have to plan ahead next time."

"I sure will. Thank you, Sir. Have a nice day."

* * *

Back in his otherwise-deserted quarters, Luke carefully removed the precious uniform he had hidden under his own the moment that he had found a 'fresher to perform the deed. Then, still careful not to damage it in any way, he retrieved his old clothes from Tatooine, removed them from the full-proof bag that he had put them in, and stored the highly-valuable black uniform in the protective envelop.

He then went into the library and, careful not to disturb the dust that had gathered over the overlooked section of datacards that he was familiar with, pulled a back case away from the wall and placed the folded uniform between the wall and the case, which he then pushed back in place.

Finally, he made sure that nothing hinted at what he had just done before he returned to his quarters to turn in for the day.

That day, he slept a little, but he was also one step closer to his goal and that made not thinking about it that much harder.

Now, if only a new sim task could make it into his work load, he would be able to at least set up something to bring it _back_ a third time, which was when he would really be able to enact the rest of the plan that had taken shape after he had acquired the particular set of clothing.

He went to sleep praying to whoever would hear him to grant him that wish.

* * *

Every day afterward, he repeated his prayer, always with a little more fervor, and a little more details, which he began to envision with growing precision in his mind.

For months, it didn't seem to work while the _stolen_ uniform seemed to be burning a hole in his awareness – a hole that could only be filled with more flight-like experience.

He buried himself in his courses and tasks as much as he could, not only to help himself change his mind but also to finish his degree as soon as possible so as to gain access to other courses of his choice such as computer programming and knowledge about advanced maintenance of the imperial technology.

Those, much more than grammar and imperial history, would help him reach his secret goal.

* * *

Then, one day, the miracle happened. Vick called him early, having secured a new workload on a sim.

Unlike the last time, the problem was not mechanical but in the computer of the cockpit. Since the teenager had been officially studying computers for more than a month, while unofficially learning how to hack into them in preparation for his next phase, both youths were confident that Luke would know exactly how to fix the problem.

However, even his supervisor wouldn't suspect that his charge would also make sure that, in a few weeks' time, the problem would purposefully reoccur.

Luke was aware that, as per imperial protocol, since he was the one fixing the sim this time, he would be the one assigned to its new repair when the same problem re-occured in less than a month.

After that first repair, everything happened exactly as Luke had planned.

* * *

Since it had been a computer problem behind the assignment, and that Luke was still learning about them, Vick decided not to report the repeating problem to their lieutenant - the very same that had once commended Luke's work a while back. The young man then warned his charge that, if there was a third report within a month for that same simulator and that exact same problem, he would have no choice but to report it.

They both understood that such a report would mean a discipline and a bad mark on Luke's so-far perfect record.

Looking properly chastised, the teenager returned to the simulator room to fix his alleged _mistake_.

While, for the sake of any surveillance device, he pretended to be raking his brain for a solution, he used his portable computer station to discreetly hack into the local system of the room and of the simulators' registry; he had no ambition of tackling the ship's main computer in any way, let alone the imperial databank.

He knew the limits of his fledgling hacking skills.

However, since the sim rooms were not exactly high on the security list, and that they held a common registry that was only used for reservation purposes, he figured that he could slip through the cracks of those basic systems and access the registry.

It turned out that he was more than right.

Once he was in, he quickly created a new pilot ID code for an Owen Darklighter, whom he registered as being in a group of newly-arrived pilots. That way, it would not surprise anyone that, if they ever checked on his sim record, he would not be attached to any mission yet. He then gave himself an access code to the sims, and then covered his tracks as best as he could.

He smirked inwardly when he realized that he had been right about the security measures regarding the sims; they were minimal and easily overcome without any alarm going off anywhere. One merely needed to know how to access the logging program so as to do like he pleased.

Then, focusing back on the present, he pretended to search for a little longer for more clues to the problem of the sim, _tried_ a few times to repair the problem, and then finally succeeded.

He tested them using the tech code assigned to him that day.

This time, the sim was not only repaired completely, but it wouldn't break down again anytime soon.

* * *

Conscious that he had to be extra careful not to draw attention to his act of computer piracy, Luke patiently waited – no matter how difficult it proved to be – for a few weeks to pass before he dared test his new ID access code.

In the meantime, he studied the schedule and registry of the sim rooms and chose one that was used more often by fresh-faced pilots like who he would pretend to be.

It turned out to be the rooms located furthest at the bow of the ship, near secondary transport hangar bays instead of TIE bays. Using one of his assignments in an adjoining area as cover, he went to an individual 'fresher that was not only used by any passerby, but that was also in a blind spot of the more relaxed surveillance network of that area of the ship.

It was perfect for his needs since he could be certain not to attract attention as either an alleged pilot or a tech whenever he came out of the individual 'fresher. While in there, he carefully prepared a concealed space where he would be able to stash away his tech gear and uniform when he _became_ a pilot.

Then, his first unofficial day as a pilot came, at long last.

* * *

While he had been hacking into the registry of the sim room, he had copied several months worth of logging time so that he had been able to identify when it was best for him to show up while he was off duty. He had also analyzed how often regular pilots used sims, and for how long. His main goal was, after all, to remain inconspicuous.

Now that he was a little older and a little more square in the shoulders, thanks to the visits to the gym that he had begun to fit into his schedule, he _could_ pull off the necessary act.

Of course, he would still look like a very young-faced eighteen year old, and only if he set his jaw and didn't smile, but it would work. He just knew it.

To help him further, the bored ensign stationed at the desk, which was only there to provide support if there were logging problems or if someone with a reservation had priority over an incoming, didn't even notice Luke when he slipped in with a few other pilots.

Like the true pilots, Luke silently saluted the yawning young man while walking by. Then, the cautious teenager found a sim near the newcomers yet out of the way, and then he finally began his unofficial piloting career.

Although the sims only counted kills and the severity of the sustained hits on his _fighter_, Luke didn't need points like in hologames to figure out that he was doing great: he was never shot down, which was more than other pilots could say whenever he listened to them whenever he left or entered the room.

At last, he was able to satisfy his craving for flying, and he was preparing for what he _really_ wanted to do in his life.

He could refocus his attention on the rest of his life and his important studies.

* * *

To Luke's delight, no one ever saw through his subterfuge, the thought of someone going to such length just to fly in a sim not even occurring to anyone.

Then, shortly after he turned sixteen, his life got even better after he aced the Flight Branch test and was finally transferred to the maintenance of TIE Fighters.

Once again, he volunteered for the night shift, aware that he could only visit the sim during the day. Indeed, unlike techs, pilots were, except in case of an attack, run only on a daylight schedule. As for the maintenance work on the TIEs, it was done mostly at night, but that didn't matter to him as he was already well-adapted to that particular schedule.

It also meant that, when the Devastator was in real space, he could test his repairs by taking the fighter for a spin, and he absolutely _loved_ that part of the job. Of course, he had to have clearance from the flight officer on duty, authorization from his chief, and the ship could be put on autopilot if he strayed from the pre-agreed flight zone, but he was still flying in space, and that was just plain awesome!

Furthermore, in addition to his excellent test scores, Vick's high recommendations when the man was transferred on a day shift, as well as his lieutenant's earlier good comment in his file, Luke's new chief never gave him any problems. Unlike chief Metthiews, chief Quilan readily acknowledged skill and efficiency when he saw it.

Finally, he wasn't the youngest of the techs anymore. New conscripts had been sent in from Alzoc III and he was transferred to their quarters where the three teens didn't have to deal with resentful adults. Like him, the Alzoc teenagers were used to maintaining faulty mechanics, although in their case, it had been in the poorer mines of the frigid world where underage labor was common. With that much in common already, the boys hit it off well, but since the other teens preferred the day shifts, Luke didn't see much of them.

However, he knew that, like him, they were sometimes better than the older techs, which meant that the increased pressure that better results unfortunately generated on the adults was not only his fault anymore.

He welcomed the respite but he didn't change his routine in spite of it.

It worked too well for him to take any risks by changing even one element in it.

Or so he thought.

* * *

That night, in a meeting room close to the pilots' barracks and TIE fighter bays of The Devastator, Lord Vader met with the two very nervous majors of his ship's six squadrons. Normally, they reported only to their colonel, but because the selection of permanent wingmen was a very personal matter as far as the Sith Lord was concerned, he didn't want to rely only on the second-hand report of a single individual.

He wanted the opinions and comments of the majors who knew their assigned pilots on a more individual basis, and since he regularly flew with the pilots, he did not trust anyone else to satisfy him with the results of the selection process of this particular situation.

The majors seemed to understand this after a while, especially when he sat while they remained standing at attention. "Your recommendations, gentlemen?" he queried without preamble, aware that they knew why they had been summoned to this meeting and that they were already eager to be away from him.

"Y... Yes, my Lord," the right-most major, a man in his mid-thirties answered and produced the datapad he had been holding. "The tally is in, but..."

"Yes?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly upon sensing the man's unease increase a notch.

Straightforward as his request was, he hadn't expected that kind of nervosity in regards to the results of their report. Were his flagship's fighter pilots not nearly as competent as he was led to believe?..

"Uh hum, there seems to be an anomaly, my Lord," the second major provided before he handed him a datakey.

While Vader understood that the key held information so recent that it hadn't been uploaded on the result pad, he didn't have time to peruse through the information right now. "Summarize it for me," he commented calmly.

So far, the two men were not at fault, therefore didn't warrant any of his more temperamental interventions. Their nervousness, however, rather intrigued him.

"We... We can't locate the first pilot on the list, my Lord."

"He has deserted?" he frowned, feeling his temper slide toward anger at such thought. Darn Rebels and their allure for the best and brightest.

"Ah, no... and that's the mystery, my Lord. He logged in again in a sim just two days ago which means that he _is_ aboard. However..."

Vader straightened slightly and began raising his hand and index in warning.

It was enough to spur the majors into uninterrupted speech. "He's not in our pilots' logs. He is not part of any of our squadrons, yet the sim registry lists him as being part of flight 4-17."

Vader frowned in confusion at this. "So you suspect that he is a spy," he stated, reading the answer from their vulnerable minds. "Yet it doesn't make any sense," he reflected out loud.

"We had information techs run a test on the mysterious ID and they confirmed that it had all the telltale signs of a forgery."

Vader snorted inwardly. He could have told them that without bothering the techs from their loaded schedule; it couldn't be _anything_ but a forged ID. The question was, though, why would anybody rely on a forged ID if it wasn't to spy on them.

However, the uncovered anomaly Felt less than a priority to him, the Force was still Telling him that he should personally investigate it. He was not after a spy, he understood, but whoever was behind this situation would be worth his attention.

"With statistics like his, why wouldn't he be a pilot?" the younger major frowned, thinking out loud as well.

Indeed, Vader wondered, too focused on the problem at hand to rebuke the younger man for his lack of protocol.

His older counterpart, though, hushed him nervously, warning him to wait for their Lord's permission to speak.

"Except for this TK421, were there any other pilots worth mentioning?" the Sith asked, filing the mystery away for further consideration later on.

"TH928 and TJ624, my Lord. I must also mention that they are both more than worth your notice. If not for this enigmatic TK421, they would both appear to be prime candidates for the open positions. They are only unfortunate that-"

"There is a natural pilot hidden amongst the rest of the crew _and_ he found his way into the sims," Vader concluded, stippling his fingertips together while he considered what he had just figured out. Of course, hacking into the barely-secured log registry would be child's play for anyone with a little determination, but to actually _make_ it past the Ensigns on duty and the rest of the regulations and protocols set in place to limit the sims to actual pilots...

As for this TK421 – Owen Darklighter – he was a great pilot, no doubt about it, yet he had clearly not boarded Devastator as a TIE pilot. For a moment, he had a flashback of himself when he had been too young to be a pilot yet had already bested anyone alive- but there was no child aboard, he reminded himself... or were there? Perhaps not a nine-year-old child per say, but still... "I want a list of everyone aboard who was not eighteen years old upon arrival. In the meantime, have TH928 and TJ624 report to me. I will wait for them here."

"Yes, my Lord," both majors bowed in deference, performed a perfect military half-turn, and then left as quickly as their normal pace allowed.

Standing back to his imposing height, Darth Vader then paced behind the meeting table. He had a strange feeling about this TK421. He didn't know why, but he Felt as if he should already know who he was; that finding him should be but a formality.

He should know him... but he didn't... and that unusual... helplessness, for lack of a better word, greatly upset him.

He resolved to deal with this matter quickly and decisively. He didn't do helpless, or even _upset_ for that matter.

He hadn't felt either emotions for a long, very long while.

* * *

After testing and officially promoting the two officially best pilots of his squadrons to his new and exclusive Black squadron, giving them the ranks of Black 2 and Black 3, Lord Vader went directly to the highly-secured area of the imperial navy intelligence aboard his ship. There, he freed two datacrunchers from their monitoring duties and assigned them full-time on his new search for the uniquely skilled and unofficial pilot.

The first monitoring they established was, of course for the log-in code of the mysterious and very resourceful child.

That way, the next time that the boy would log in, Vader would be alerted and led straight to the sim room where the culprit would be at that time. However, not wanting to spook his quarry into running, he ordered the datacrunchers to send the signal only to him and specified that he would handle the top-secret operation by himself.

Besides, he shrugged inwardly, the situation was not exactly dire as the underage boy was obviously merely practicing his already-astounding skills. He wasn't spying, causing problems other than bypassing some internal rules, and he certainly wasn't endangering the ship in any way.

He was just a harmless mystery to be solved, and Vader had not had a lot of those lately, so he rather enjoyed this new and even relaxing chase. In a way, it was almost like a game to him. However, unlike the political games that he played with his master or with Black Sun's dark prince, or the military games that involved the elusive Rebel Alliance and even his own underligns, this one was only pleasant entertainment and a brief battle of wits – a battle that he would win, of course.

He was also particularly looking forward to the prize that he would collect at the end of this particular contest. The Force's guidance was just too unusual for the boy to be anyone but a really special, really unique individual who would serve his greater designs well once in his hands.

* * *

Even though the night had been long and that Luke had been looking forward to his rest, he willingly cut it short that day because if he wanted to access a sim this week, it was his only chance.

Ever since new pilots had arrived, a few weeks ago, he had had to cut by half his time in the sims, turning his practice into a single weekly occurrence. It was the price to pay for not using the reservation system, he reminded himself while he prepared to leave his otherwise deserted quarters.

Fortunately for him, all the techs shared the same uniform despite their various assignments. That way, he could still pretend to be a tech of a general maintenance team while he was headed toward the 'fresher where he now permanently stashed his black uniform, and nobody was the wiser.

Then, while in the 'fresher, he only had to wait a little while, pretending to be constipated, and he could leave wearing a different uniform, and no new passerby was aware of his changed attire.

After that, he simply stepped through the door of the sim room, always saluted the ensign on duty, who barely returned the sign of respect or even paid him any attention, and then he climbed into an available simulator and shut himself in.

That day, as usual, he put on the TIE helmet that he found in the piloting seat, connected his communication device into the system, and then called up the start up screen.

However, the moment that he confirmed his log-in code, a shiver of dread ran throughout his whole body before settling in the pit of his stomach and suddenly he gasped for air.

What was _that_? He wondered, wrenching the helmet off so as to breathe more freely.

He then gagged when it happened again and he understood that today was _not_ a good day for his practice.

He quickly climbed out of the simulator, and, remembering how he was not even supposed to be there, took unusual precautions to hide his features from the surveillance devices that he had long-since located in the room.

Pretending to gag again, he walked swiftly out of the room and into the closest 'fresher where he truly retched in growing nervousness and fear.

Once he was done, he left the 'fresher and made his way to where his normal uniform waited.

This time, he packed his black uniform in his tech duffel bag and brought it with him.

Somehow, he knew that _his_ game time was over.

* * *

Meanwhile, a deck above and fifty meters away from the naughty crewman that he was looking for, Vader finally stalked into the sim room where the mysterious pilot had logged in.

Unfortunately, the Sith Lord had been on the bridge, hence at the other end of his orbiting ship, when the signal that he had been waiting for had come. By the time that had reached his destination, after taking two troopers with him and down into the nearest shuttle bay where he had taken the outside route to reach his destination faster, Vader didn't really expect his quarry to be present anymore.

He should have known, he rebuked himself for not foreseeing that the elusive boy would not use a sim anywhere near the brass. He should have known that, considering how clever and resourceful the child appeared to be, he would also make sure to use the sim rooms that were only used by younger pilots who lacked the years of service to ever get priority in the sim rooms located closer to their barracks and the TIE hangar bays.

He had miscalculated, he grudgingly conceded while he silently dismissed the troopers with a wave of his hand. He had been overconfident, had underestimated the boy's wariness and intelligence, but never again, he promised himself.

He stepped closer to the embarrassed and frightened ensign, who had been slumbering behind his desk when he had arrived. Even without the Force, he would know that the young subordinate was fervently hoping that his Lord hadn't caught him at fault.

"Show me the logs of the past hour, including the cams," he demanded without preamble.

The ensign was too relieved not to be the reason of his unusual presence to do anything but bend over his keyboard and call up the required information.

"This is it, my Lord," he answered and quickly stepped away from the viewing screen when Vader stepped closer to it.

The Sith Lord then read the written information regarding the logged codes, easily located TK421's, matched it with a time, and then scanned the cam records until he could see the recordings of that time.

'Clever, indeed,' he reflected in increasing annoyance, tightening his lips in a grim line while he crossed his arms in front of his chest. The boy – and clearly rather young from what he could see – had used the regulation salute to hide his features behind his raised forearm and hand.

He was definitely proving to be more of a challenge than expected. He had also acquired the proper pilot uniform, which was why he managed to slip in and out without anyone being the wiser.

Using the Force to scan more of the recordings, he searched for more images of him, but between the cap worn tightly over short hair, the numerous obstacles of the passerbys – whom the boy cunningly took advantage of - and that jaunty salute of his or even his pretended gagging and bending over while in front of the main cam before leaving, Vader could not even hope of handing those records to his techs in hopes of acquiring a complete holopicture of the boy.

The wily teenager simply always showed the same part of his chin and mouth, and he was careful to never expose any of his upper features that could be used to identify him.

That could only mean that the boy was either aware of the intelligence techniques – a very unlikely possibility given his young age – or he was a tech and knew where the cams were located.

That new information narrowed down his search a little bit, but since most of the underage crewmen were techs anyway, it didn't help him all that much either.

Silently, without uttering a single word of rebuttal to the ensign that was about to faint from fright beside him, he left the sim room.

What had been a mere game of cat and mouse had just become a true challenge as well as a question of pride.

He would _not_ lose to a mere boy.

He would need to meditate on the list of remaining possibilities.

* * *

Since the crew of the Devastator formed a large community of sort, gossip and rumours ran around on a regular basis.

However, when their Lord acted in a most unusual way, the scuttlebutt was generalized as everyone wondered what it meant and if he was after them for some reason or another.

Since everyone always broke this or that minor regulation from time to time, they all preferred to know that his attention was riveted on the Rebels instead of them as a either a whole or worst, as individuals.

Therefore, even though he was still rather isolated, Luke still heard from the rumour mill that Lord Vader was looking for a skillful but underage tech/pilot that had illegally gained access to the piloting simulators.

Stupid, Luke rebuked himself for the hundredth time that night after overhearing his colleagues. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_. Of _course_ the scores at the end of sim runs were not only results; they were statistics!

Worse, they were recorded and compiled so that they could identify, even locate and evaluate their pilots... and that was just like _him_ anyway to set up that kind of monitoring system.

Darth Vader, he shuddered despite the surrounding warmth of the recently shut-down engine pod. That was what he had _felt_, for lack of a better word.

It had been Lord Vader... and he was searching for _him_.

He had to erase all his fake information and lay low, he decided. If he was uncovered... then he was done for. There was just no way that the Dark Lord of the Sith would understand his motivation for his action, and he would most certainly _not_ be lenient with him for hacking into a forbidden system.

As a tech, he had been regularly reminded and warned during meetings that if they didn't have the necessary access to a system, they were not to hack their way in but instead wait for their clearance codes to come in. Hacking was for spies and traitors, his superiors always said.

That would be how Vader would see him, too... and betrayal was punishable by death.

Suddenly aware that his hands were trembling, which was not a good thing when working this close to the sensitive pod array, he slowly pulled away to a safe distance and closed his eyes to calm down.

He had known that he was disobeying, he reminded himself sternly. He had known, and he had accepted that, if ever caught, there would be grave consequences. Granted, he had expected a session or two of discipline/torture, and/or a loss of pay for the foreseeable future, and, more importantly, the loss of any chance of ever transferring to the Academy.

He had known that he was taking an enormous risk, but the consequences had never seemed fatal, only very unpleasant, and, truth be told, he had never thought that he would ever be caught.

He had certainly never expected that he could be construed as a spy or a traitor, not even if Vick had regularly drilled his team regarding that fact.

He had to ride it out, he decided. If Vader hadn't found him yet, then perhaps he never would. Or before long, the Rebels would act up again and he wouldn't have anymore time to devote to his internal search. Then, there was also the possibility, albeit very unlikely, that the dark lord had actually been impressed by his results and actually wanted to fast-track him toward a cockpit.

After all, great TIE pilots were rare, and the death toll during battles was always too high.

Luke fervently hoped that it was possible that he might have actually helped his cause instead of ruining it, but at the bottom of his heart, he didn't dare think too much about that preposterous possibility.

Lord Vader's reputation simply preceded him.

Still, there _were_ rumours that, as demanding as the Dark Lord could be, he also rewarded well those that satisfied and even exceeded his expectations.

The nervous youth couldn't help but think that he might just fall into that second category as far as his flying went. After all, he _knew_ that he was a great pilot, like his father before him.

Despite all his efforts to calm down, though, his nervousness and self annoyance at his lack of wisdom and caution didn't go away. Worse, they increased in intensity, bordering on fear and self-directed anger.

Fortunately for him, however, they didn't show on the outside so that no one around him suspected that he was the Dark Lord's quarry.

Through the Force, however, the emergence of a new and quickly strengthening Force-presence attracted the attention of the very man that the nervous boy was hoping to elude further.

* * *

TBC

Well? How was that? How did you like Luke's adaptation to his new life? What did you think of his earlier, and then later circumstances with his different chiefs and colleagues? Did you have fun plotting along with him in regards to his naughty plans ;P And what did you think of Vader's initial reaction to his discovery? Of his increasing frustration as he faced the intelligence and cunning of his unbeknown son ;P (like Father like Son, huh? I mean, considering how Anakin repeatedly met Padme in secret and was never caught, just to mention that one ;P) And now, what do you think will happen? How do you envision their first meeting?

Until next time, everyone, and remember, reviews are very precious gifts all year long :) Moreover, they are a great incentive for me to return to this story ASAP and expand their first moments of encounter and the ensuing events :)P


	5. Chapter 5 (still in the past)

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2013

* * *

Happy holiday season everyone! First of all, thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story even after it went on hiatus! Your comments really meant a lot to me! I hope you'll continue to have fun reading this new part, and the others that I should be posting during those holidays

Thanks as well for the favorites and alerts. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my ability to entertain you and I hope to one day read your thoughts in more details :)

* * *

_Previously_: Vader captured Luke and had a neurologist first erase the Rebel's more recent memories before he restored his older ones. Then, Vader used a Force trance to share his own memories of their common past before Luke's accident on Yavin 4. After receiving irrefutable proof of those memories in the form of his very own Sith lightsaber, the young man entered a memory-strenghtening trance with his father who shared everything he knew about how Luke joined the Empire, when he was conscripted in the tech corps at 15 years old.

Back then, he had managed to hack his way into the registry system for the sims and hone his instinctive piloting skills while sating his need to fly until he could finally apply for a transfer to the Academy, when he was of age. Unfortunately, Lord Vader found out about the unregistered yet best TIE pilot of his crew – next to him – and the search was on.

This new part continues to reveal the secrets of Luke's past as an imperial.

* * *

As promised in the last post, I am finally adding a little more to this fic after several months of focus on the two winners of this summer's survey. After all, holidays are a special occasion and I did say that I would try to update during those ;)

To get even more faster, you know what you have to do Yup, you got it ;) You have to hit the button at the bottom of this post and do your reader thing :)

Please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts :D

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to Walt Disney Co. and George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 5: Hunting down a clever troublemaker

In his meditation pod, Vader straightened up as he felt yet again the new disturbance that had suddenly appeared in the Force a few days ago.

Aware that he had but a short moment to track it down before it disappeared again, he focused solely on this new challenge.

So far, he only knew that it was a strong new presence that he had been ordered to neutralize - not that the command had been necessary to set him after any potential Jedi traitor - and that the newfound Force sensitive was also very close to his current whereabouts.

Indeed, two days ago, the disturbance had lasted long enough that he had finally been able to at least locate it with more precision.

He had been utterly shocked and more than a little outraged when he had realized that the Jedi's-like presence was actually aboard _his_ very ship.

Determinate to catch his prey sooner than later, he once again stretched his senses as much as possible, racing against time to lock on the elusive-proven, practically slippery Force-strong presence that kept blinking in and out of existence barely long enough for him to distinguish it from the general mass of mental presences of his large - very large - crew before the teasing light vanished yet again.

First, a savant underage pilot and now a strong Force sensitive who was able to hide under his very nose?! Was his ship to become a magnet for troublemakers?

If so, his already-frayed bad temper did not bode well for either the contravenants or the incompetents that were unlucky enough to be assigned to his ship.

Using his rising anger as a focus, he delved deeper into the Force and once again located the diffuse Force presence of his adversary.

This time, he became aware that whoever it was had had no training whatsoever. Indeed, even the former younglings, whom he had hunted down after they had survived the attack of the temple, had had a more focused aura than this strong Force sensitive.

Just before he could lose contact with him, Vader finally isolated the presence from all the others.

The individual was in the aft part of the ship - and then he was gone once again.

Sighing in exasperation, The Sith Lord swiftly stood up and stalked so fast out of his quarters that he downright startled the normally stoic elite troopers that always guarded his door.

Indeed, his worsening irritation did not bode well at all for whoever he would soon get his mechanical hands on.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, however, and getting some more help tracking down his target through an unexpected reappearance of the strong aura, he recovered some of his better disposition after he realized that both of his current targets were, in fact, one and the same.

But then, he dimly rebuked himself for his short-sightedness, he should have figured it out the moment that he had felt the Force disturbance. After all, what else would produce the young ace pilot that he was searching for but a latent and untapped Force potential?

His scarred lips stretched painfully into a satisfied smirk while he felt yet another flare of power from the clearly upset child that was hard at work maintaining the engine of a TIE fighter. Now that he was almost beside the boy, there was no hiding that kind of unlimited potential from his well-honed Force senses.

He had him now, and, unlike what he had been planning to, he thankfully hadn't had to meet in groups the thousand of possible perps.

While he studied his quarry's presence without revealing his own, he marvelled at the depth of potential that had literally fallen on his lap and dimly wondered how he could have missed it before now.

The child was almost like a shining beacon in the Force, a beacon that literally foretold changes to come. He smirked greedily as plans that he had had to forget so far became possible once again; with the help of such a powerful ally, not even Palpatine would stand in his path for much longer.

For the moment, however, the boy was simply hard at work - just like he was supposed to - repairing the sensitive ion engine of a fighter.

The time to secure his unexpected boon was not here yet, but soon, extremely soon.

Vader decided to merely station troopers to wait for the boy while he prepared for his meeting with him.

Once he emerged from his current task, the child would never be a mere tech ever again. Vader had much more grandiose designs for him now, even greater that those of making him his third wingman.

At long last, he had found a worthy apprentice.

He headed straight for the supervisor's office.

It was time to learn everything there was to know about his new apprentice.

* * *

The moment that the nightshift chief of staff heard his trademark breathing sound approach his open office, Vader felt him snap to complete alertness while the instantly nervous man did his best to control his rising terror.

He basked in the power-feeding energies for a moment before he finally stepped into the organized chaos of the office of the nightshift supervisor.

The middle-aged man was already standing at attention and bowed his head and torso in proper greetings. "Lord Vader," he straightened up again. "How may I be of service?"

"I want all the available information on the underage tech under your charge."

Just like he expected, the man paled at the mention of the young conscript, feeling simultaneously concerned that one of his underlings had made a grave mistake, and uncomfortable to admit that there was such a young boy on his duty roster.

Since underage conscription was tolerated but not encouraged, no one was ever at ease to be confronted about the presence of such children under their orders. Most often, though, the teenagers didn't attract undue attention to themselves so that their underage years of service flew by without incidents for all concerned parties.

However, when the dreaded question came from the Dark Lord of the Sith himself - who was widely known for his hatred of child abuse and exploitation- even the most hardened officer quaked in his perfectly-pressed trousers. Therefore, it was no real surprise when the senior tech fearfully stumbled and babbled apologies about his charge even as he typed furiously on his keypad to call up the concerned file.

"What can you tell me about him? What kind of worker is he?"

"Uh, despite his age, Luke is a very skilled, very reliable and trustworthy asset, my Lord. He is also the only certified pilot of my team so he runs all the necessary tests; he knows exactly how to push the fighters and test the repairs adequately. His goal is to enroll in the Academy and become a pilot when he is eighteen. He has a perfect record so far, my Lord. He can't be the one you are looking for," the nervous man added in reference to the rumour that had spread throughout the ship like a plague.

If Vader hadn't been in a good mood, he would chastise the man for his misplaced comment. However, the discovery of raw Force potential ready for moulding made him feel indulgent, for once. "We'll see soon enough," he simply stated to the self-horrified man.

While the man blanched further at his Lord's cold certainty, a data card popped out of the chief's desk and the nervous man practically fell over himself in his haste to deliver the requested information and satisfy him so that he would leave his suddenly claustrophobia-driving cubicle.

Amused despite himself by the frightened innocent man, Vader accepted the pad that the chief provided with the already-loaded card. He instantly glanced down at the innocuous information.

He thought he heard his breather stop in complete shock and disbelief when he saw the boy's name.

Luke Skywalker.

What- it couldn't be... It was impossible...!

He was so shocked by those mere two words that his prosthetic hands, which should have been completely stable, shook slightly, just enough for him to notice his sudden loss of composure.

He quickly focused on stopping his physical reaction before the senior tech could notice his abnormal loss of composure.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, my Lord?"

Luke Skywalker, conscripted on Tatooine...

The words just wouldn't stop tormenting him with the truth of the surreal situation.

His son. His son was alive and bore the name that his angel had always wanted to give him.

His son had survived Padme's death, the Force sang over and over again in his mind.

His son was alive and within hand's reach!

"My Lord?"

"I will deal with him myself," he finally answered grimly more per reflex than any intention to threaten the boy.

Luke Skywalker.

Tatooine.

His son.

Aware that he had just stumbled on a gift that could easily be thorn from him if his relation to him was ever discovered by the enemy, he forced himself to focus back on the situation at hand. "After this shift, the boy is no longer your responsibility. Transfer all his information to my private quarters and make sure that nothing remains of him in any records of the main computer, not even with the Fleet's registry on Coruscant."

"I... understand my Lord. Do you wish me to call him in right away?"

He was tempted to answer in the positive, but he held himself in check. He had to prepare before meeting the already frightened child.

He had to make certain arrangements.

"No. He will finish his last shift of duty in this service before he loses his privileges as an advanced tech."

Upon hearing that, the chief winced in sympathy at the boy's inferred fate. Considering his lord's reputation, the man had no delusion about the continued well being or even survival of the child.

Vader didn't rectify his perception of the situation since the news of the fate of the guilty tech would serve as a deterrent to anyone who might have gotten similar ideas upon hearing about the child's exploit.

"Carry on, Chief," Vader concluded curtly before he swiftly turned on his heels and left the small secluded corner that had been set up as an office.

He then hastened his pace and went in search of the closest meeting room where he would have the privacy he needed to fully digest what he had just learnt about the fate of his then family-to-be.

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that? How did you like Vader's initial reactions to the Force disturbances and then their turning out to be his son? What did you think of his characterization with the chief, first as the sith lord, but then as the unprepared fathe? And now, what do you think will happen? How do you think he will handle revealing the truth to his scared son?

If you want more, you know what to do:) Or, if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you feel more comfortable that way). However, if you simply don't like this '_kind_' of story because it's not your style, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Until next time, remember that reviews are very precious gifts, and we're in the season for giving :) Happy Holidays everyone!


	6. Chapter 6 (still in the past)

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2013

* * *

_Previously_: Vader captured Luke and had a neurologist first erase the Rebel's more recent memories before he restored his older ones. Then, Vader used a Force trance to share his own memories of their common past before Luke's accident on Yavin 4. After receiving irrefutable proof of those memories in the form of his very own Sith lightsaber, the young man entered a memory-strenghtening trance with his father who shared everything he knew about how Luke joined the Empire, when he was conscripted in the tech corps at 15 years old.

Back then, he had managed to hack his way into the registry system for the sims and hone his instinctive piloting skills while sating his need to fly until he could finally apply for a transfer to the Academy, when he was of age. Unfortunately, Lord Vader found out about the unregistered yet best TIE pilot of his crew – next to him – and the search led to the discovery of his unknown son.

This new part continues to reveal the secrets of Luke's past as an imperial.

* * *

Happy holiday season everyone! First of all, thanks to everyone who has reviewed the latest post! Your comments really meant a lot to me! I hope you'll continue to have fun reading this new part which will be a little longer than the last one :)

Thanks as well for the favorites and alerts. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my ability to entertain you and I hope to one day read your thoughts in more details :)

* * *

As promised in the last post, here is a little more, just for this very special day of the year :)

To get even more faster, you know what you have to do Yup, you got it ;) You have to hit the button at the bottom of this post and do your reader thing :)

Please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts :D

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to Walt Disney Co. and George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 6: First meeting

Minutes later, too long minutes after he had learnt the child's real name, Vader was finally able to isolate himself in a pilots' meeting room and let go of his stoic composure. He sat down hard in the nearest chair large enough to sustain his heavy weight.

Skywalker.

The boy's name was... was his former last name.

Even though anyone would state that it was merely a coincidence and that the youth was probably from another family branch, Vader knew without a doubt that this Luke Skywalker, Force strong innate ace pilot and exceptionally skilled tech... was... was his son.

His supposedly long-dead and unborn son.

Besides, Vader had never found any other branch of Skywalker save for his own. Apparently, his family's slavery had prevented them from spreading the already-small blood line.

But back to his son, how could that be? He had seen his wife's body in her tomb and, even to this day, she was still swollen with her unborn child. He had killed the child when he had accidentally - shamefully - killed her...

And yet, he hadn't.

Kenobi, he suddenly raged and barely restrained himself from snapping the suddenly precious datapad that he still held in his hands. The secrecy of his son's survival _had_ to be the result of yet another deceit by his traitorous former master.

Now, not only had Kenobi turned his beloved against him, but he had stolen his son from him, hiding him on...

On trice-cursed Tatooine, with its outlaws, its unscrupulous slavers and its lethal sandpeople!

Kenobi had dared endanger his only son like that?! If only for that crime alone, Vader would take his sweet time torturing the Jedi to death when he finally got his hands on him.

His son. His son was alive.

His son was alive, healthy, very shrewd for a child his age, and he was now with him were he belonged - or soon would be anyway.

Vader finally refocused his attention on the rest of his son's service file and experienced his very first burst of fatherly pride as he perused the perfect record that the boy had collected since he had been conscripted.

Not only did the child diligently study to complete his basic education - something that rarely happened with underage conscripts - but Luke had also done everything necessary to quickly advance to the fighters' tech team.

There was also a note from his previous supervisor that Luke's career plan was to enroll in the Academy and become a TIE pilot.

Not that he would need the training, Vader smiled in increasing pride. The boy was already more skilled than all his other pilots, and he now knew all the technical details of his future fighter.

As a result, his son was already more than ready to step into his chosen duty instead of his imposed one, and as his Force strong heir, Luke was also way overdue to begin his Sith training.

But first, he had to meet with the child, preferably without scaring him worse than he already was. The bursts of barely-controlled dread were still unmistakable whenever he quickly checked on the boy's suddenly-irresistible presence.

He pondered his options for a moment, and then finally sent orders to the still waiting troopers to bring the boy to sim room 88, the room that was secretely linked to his vast quarters.

It was time to put both his new wingman and his devious and extremely resourceful son to the test.

* * *

It was nearly the end of his shift - thus almost o-five hundred thirty - when Luke finally emerged from under the last fighter that had been on his assignment pad.

He wiped his grimy hands with a clean rag while he pondered if he had time to test flight his latest fix as well - when two stormtroopers materialized in front of him almost as if from thin air.

"Luke Skywalker, you are to accompany us. Lord Vader requests your presence immediately."

The voice was cold and emotionless, not giving him any sign that the man understood the implications of what he had just told him.

Luke, however, felt his blood freeze in horror when he realized that play time was over. For a moment, he was tempted to try and break for it, but one gaze down at the unholstered blasters and he quickly forgot his desperate plan; the weapons were set on stun, which meant that they would shoot him the moment that he even flinched out of place.

He was done for, he resigned himself. He was doomed and his dreams of enrolling in the Academy were over, killed by his own impatience and foolish plans.

With a sigh of resignation, he dropped his rag in his tool box and straightened his small shoulders in a feeble and pointless display of courage.

"I don't suppose that I need to bring my tools, do I?"

"No. Come with us."

Luke nodded obediently, but not before throwing a last longing gaze at the fighter that he would never get to fly ever again.

He then reluctantly stepped in between the troopers who were to lead him to his doom.

* * *

The moment that the doors of the sim room split open, Luke noticed two important facts: Lord Vader was, indeed, waiting for him _and_ the Dark Lord of the Sith was alone.

Luke stopped walking when he was in the room proper and, to his surprise, Vader dismissed his escort, ordering them to return to their posts.

The youth felt the lump in his throat double in size at the unpleasant prospect of being alone with the masked murderer; he swallowed hard in fright.

Naturally, the troopers obeyed their commander-in-chief and soon, Luke was truly alone with the looming menace.

"TH1138 I believe, or should I say: TK421, aka Owen Darklighter?" Vader inquired without delay.

Luke felt his hands shake uncontrollably as he obtained the confirmation that the Sith had, indeed, found him out. "I can explain, my Lord. I-"

"Apologies are of no use to me, young Skywalker. Survive this next sim session and you won't ever be a mere tech ever again."

To say that Luke was surprised by this unexpected answer would be an understatement; he was downright flabbergasted. "Huh, you are not going to discipline me? Or kill me?"

"Not if you survive this next simulation."

Confused yet resigned to his fate, the teenager uneasily walked toward the nearest simulator. He then pulled himself up in it, displaying far less eagerness than he ever had before - and stilled in horror when he saw his Lord's black figure disappear inside the sim that faced his.

What?.. He was going to fly against the best pilot in the galaxy?

Now he knew that he was doomed.

Straining past fear-paralyzed muscles, he finished pulling himself into the sim and uneasily sat in the chair. He then strapped in the practice helmet, doing his best to ignore his quaking hands before he shut his eyes for a moment and fought to regain control of his frayed nerves.

He knew all-too-well that he needed everything that he had - and some of what he didn't - to survive this.

* * *

In the second simulator, Vader attentively studied everything that his son felt, thought and did while the child prepared for the upcoming challenge of skills.

He was more than a little impressed when the boy, a mere and currently greased-covered teenager, gathered his considerable focus and fell into a mindset that often eluded new adult pilots that were fresh out of the Academy.

His son definitely was a natural, just like his father before him.

Vader was even more looking forward to testing the child's skills.

The moment that the worried youth activated his sim, Vader _flew_ right at him, instantly taking control of their dog fight.

Right from the get-go, he pushed the boy to the limits of his innate skills, sparing no effort to shoot him down.

In the other simulator, the child was downright frantic and with every burst of fear that he generated, he barely managed to remain alive for another ten seconds.

His son was even stronger in the Force than he had expected from his mental touches.

The child pulled a drop-kick barrel roll combination, pleasing his father with his creativity and lightning fast reflexes, but as good as the little one was, he was no match against a trained Sith Lord.

* * *

When his screens went dark after he was shot down, Luke was unable to let go of the control stick. He had lost... He hadn't survived the sim session... And now that he had been humiliated, he would be summarily executed.

Lord Vader truly deserved his reputation of being the best pilot alive; Luke had barely managed to escape his crosshairs - until he hadn't anymore. No matter how hard he had tried and which manœuver he had pulled - even some that he hadn't known were possible - he had been killed in a little under five minutes.

He was truly humbled by such a display of skill, which was probably the goal of that shameful exercise.

He was still breathing hard and clutching the controls out of terror when the side door of the sim opened on its own.

The mere sound of the Sith's breathing apparatus chilled Luke to the core yet he knew that he was expected to understand the silent warning and exit his temporary shelter.

If the sim could even be called that...

Unfolding his tensed body from its sitting position proved far from easy, his muscles actually refusing to collaborate with what would bring him closer to his death. However, the thought of being shamed further by being dragged out like a misbehaving child was unpleasant enough that he managed to set himself back in motion.

The moment that he emerged from the simulator, he noticed that lord Vader was waiting for him with his arms crossed over his large chest.

The sight he made was truly ominous enough to scare even hardened warriors, let alone guilty misbehavings teenagers.

As an underage and troublesome tech, he was amazed that he was still in perfect control of his awareness despite his utter fright.

He never thought that he had _that_ much courage in him...

Still, how ashamed his father would be if he were still alive to see his son facing execution for stupid disobedience...

'I'm sorry, Father,' he silently apologized. 'I wish I could have made you proud by becoming a pilot like you.'

He kept his head as high as he dared without incurring further upcoming punishment - for why else was he still alive and told to step toward his waiting executioner?

* * *

Vader patiently remained still while he waited for the downright shuddering child to leave the sim. He was careful to keep his arms crossed and his hands well away from his ever-present lightsaber so as to present as non-menacing an image as he could. However, given his considerable height and bulk, not to mention his artificial breathing, it was next to impossible to achieve, no matter which stance he held.

Then, his son leaned out of the sim and stared in dread at him; he watched him with great pride as the little one bravely stepped down on the deck and meekly stood at attention.

Vader decided that if he didn't want to scare the poor boy further, he had to inform him of his intentions. "No harm will come to you, Child," he reassured him, doing his best to make his bass voice non-threatening.

Once again, that was next to impossible.

Still, even though he had expected the distraught boy to calm down upon hearing this, Vader never thought that he could shock him further.

"What?.. You are not - I mean you must be - Why?" Was the question that the teenager finally settled on, his widened blue eyes staring up and in disbelief at him.

'Because you are my son,' would be so easy to say and follow on, but Vader knew better than to stress or upset the boy further right now.

The little one looked about ready to either bolt or faint from panic.

As a result, instead of stepping closer like he wished he did, Vader turned on his heels and led the way toward his private access to the sim room. "You are an exceptionally skilled pilot, young one," he began conversationally after he felt the child obey his unspoken order to follow him. "No one survives me longer than a minute fifteen seconds yet you lasted four minutes and forty-four seconds." This time, he dared turn around and look down at the confused child. "Where did you learn to fly like that?"

As he had hoped, acknowledging the child's prowess went a long way in reassuring the boy about his upcoming fate.

Apparently, the youth had heard about Lord Vader's occasional support that was given to particularly worthy individuals and Luke had understood that he had just fallen into that very rare and unique category.

"Uuuh, Beggar's canyon, back on Tatooine, my Lord. Uh... Was I really that good? I thought that being shot down proved that-"

"You lasted three times longer than even my new wingmen, Son of Skywalker. Only a Force strong individual can ever survive the lightning fast reflexes of another Force user."

"Force user?..."

* * *

Behind his dreaded commander-in-chief, Luke followed as far as possible yet as close as necessary to the man who seemed to honestly appreciate his flying skills even though he also referred to matters that Luke did not understand. What was the Force his lord was referring to? And why would the best-

A secret door suddenly slid open in the back wall of the sim room and Luke felt as if he was about to be swallowed by darkness. Somehow, he knew that the moment that he would step inside the darkened secret passage, his old life would be over.

Was it a good or a bad thing, though? He couldn't decide.

In fact, it was all he could do to keep walking and not merely faint from fright as Lord Vader wordlessly led him into the unknown.

Luke's first reflex was to seek a way out, but one glance at the overbearing Sith Lord that preceded him and he knew that it would be pointless; Vader would still do whatever he wished with him, no matter what he tried.

Now, he could only pray that Lord Vader truly had good plans in mind for him.

After all, Luke wasn't really ready to die and even if Lord Vader had told him that he wouldn't hurt him, he still feared the worst.

Holding his breath in concern, he bravely stepped through the secret door that the Sith lord had crossed.

Behind them, the panel slid back into place, as if sealing his fate forever.

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that? How did you like Vader's plan to gently introduce himself to his son? What did you think of Luke's characterization during the test? And now, what do you think will happen? How do you think Daddy will handle revealing the whole truth to his still uncertain son?

If you want more, you know what to do:) Or, if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you feel more comfortable that way). However, if you simply don't like this '_kind_' of story because it's not your style, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Until next time, remember that reviews are very precious gifts, and we're in the season for giving :) Happy Holidays everyone!


	7. Chapter 7 (still in the past)

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2013

* * *

_Previously_: Vader captured Luke and had a neurologist first erase the Rebel's more recent memories before he restored his older ones. Then, Vader used a Force trance to share his own memories of their common past before Luke's accident on Yavin 4. After receiving irrefutable proof of those memories in the form of his very own Sith lightsaber, the young man entered a memory-strenghtening trance with his father who shared everything he knew about how Luke joined the Empire, when he was conscripted in the tech corps at 15 years old.

Back then, he had managed to hack his way into the registry system for the sims and hone his instinctive piloting skills while sating his need to fly until he could finally apply for a transfer to the Academy, when he was of age. Unfortunately, Lord Vader found out about the unregistered yet best TIE pilot of his crew – next to him – and the search led to the discovery of his unknown son.

This new part continues to reveal the secrets of Luke's past as an imperial.

* * *

Happy holiday season everyone! First of all, thanks to everyone who has reviewed the latest post! Your comments really meant a lot to me! I hope you'll continue to have fun reading this new part which will be a little longer than the last one :)

Thanks as well for the favorites and alerts. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my ability to entertain you and I hope to one day read your thoughts in more details :)

Yup, here is a little more, just for this very special day of the year :)

To get even more faster, you know what you have to do Yup, you got it ;) You have to hit the button at the bottom of this post and do your reader thing :)

Please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts :D

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to Walt Disney Co. and George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

Part 6: First meeting

Less than a minute later, Luke and the Dark Lord of the Sith emerged in Vader's meditation room. While the boy stopped in shock and stupor at their completely unexpected destination, Vader slowly walked toward his open meditation chamber.

"As I was saying, young one, even though you are untrained, you have a very strong connection with the Force."

And it had been his son's growing Force talents that had caused the same Force to keep nagging him into returning to the one planet that he had sworn never to set foot on ever again

"I-" the boy gaped, refocusing his attention on him.

Vader sat regally in the chair of his pod. "What about your knowledge of mechanics and technology in general? Did your uncle teach those to you before you began your more professional training aboard the Devastator?"

* * *

While Luke silently shook his head in negative, another part of his brain was stunned that the Dark Lord knew about his uncle Owen... That was until he saw the datapad that laid near the man's left hand and on the console that surrounded his raised seat.

Of course, the boy silently berated himself for his new bout of stupidity. Of course the Sith lord had read his file so that all the details of his life were already familiar to him. What else could Luke expect from the powerful man who had found him despite his erasing all his traces from the sim computers and keeping a very low profile ever since?

"You've always known, somehow, how to fit the pieces together to make them work, haven't you?"

"Y... Yes... my Lord," he nervously admitted before he swallowed hard in nervousness.

What did Lord Vader want with him exactly? Why was he asking him all those weird questions about the origin of his technical skills?.. What did they have to do with his flying skills? Or with the Force he kept mentionning? And why was he acting... well, kindly with him? Had Lord Vader ever even shown any care about anyone? If so, he had never heard of it... Yet how else could he describe how the Sith Lord was treating him but... with a cool-headed kindness?..

Was that even possible? After all, even long before he had been conscripted, Luke had heard nightmare-inducing stories about the cruel and heartless Dark Lord of the Sith. Furthermore, ever since he had heard a first blood-chilling tale about Lord Vader, he had never, ever heard any in which the older man - was he even a man? - had acted kindly toward anyone.

No, the young teenager had never, ever heard anything that even remotely resembled his current interaction with the dreaded commander-in-chief of the imperial fleet, not even in the less familiar imperial rumours that Lord Vader rewarded outstanding performances just as well as he punished incompetence.

In short, no matter the kind of tall tale that he heard, the Sith lord was never, ever described as kind, not even in the positive stories; he was only ever fair and distantly encouraging through his acknowledgement of talent and-

"The Force is strong with you, Child," Vader interrupted his tumbling thoughts. "just like it was with your father."

Upon hearing that, Luke's puzzlement turned into morbid curiosity. "You knew my father?"

Lord Vader didn't answer. Instead, his chair simply turned, as if by itself, and a large screen turned itself on in front of them.

A young man with crystal blue eyes and dark blond hair appeared on the screen, along with strings of data along the left side of the holo-image.

Luke couldn't stop himself; he quickly covered the distance that separated him from a better point of view of the screen, thus ending up right beside the Sith's pod and his intimidating presence.

All of a sudden, nothing else mattered to Luke but what Lord Vader knew about his father; the youth was completely oblivious to everything that the older man stood for, let alone everything that frightened him about the Sith lord.

"Before the rise of the Empire and the Jedi purges, Anakin Skywalker was the strongest Jedi Knight of the galaxy."

More images followed the initial ones and Luke gaped in amazement while he watched his father wield a lightsaber - he had learnt that word from other techs that had been discussing their Lord's latest victory and his unique weapon. Luke then couldn't believe his eyes when the young man on the screen began performing spectacular acrobatics and even appeared to manipulate and lift various objects, including battle droids, without ever touching them.

The only clue that Luke had that the floating objects were his father's doing was that the young mas was pointing at them during the incident; it was not much, but it was enough for the son to gather that his deduction was correct.

"Those rare images were taken by a war reporter not long before Anakin disappeared, never to be seen again. Theses were shot a few months before the Empire rose to replace the outdated and corrupted Republic."

Even though Luke's eyes were glued to the first and only images of his father that he had ever seen - his father the-awesome-Jedi-hero-and-not-the-mere-space-navigator - his brain stopped on Vader's choice of words and he froze inwardly.

Disappeared.

Not _died_, _perished_, or _was_ _killed_.

He turned his bewildered gaze toward the dark lord who was silently watching him.

"Yes," the black-clad warrior confirmed his unspoken question, "your father is still alive."

"Do you know him? Where is he?" Luke instantly asked, and then caught himself badgering the dark lord with questions and fell silent before he could upset him.

Vader, however, didn't seem to mind his insistency and merely motioned with his finger toward the opposite board of his station.

This time, Luke saw the switch flick into position without being touched.

He understood that Vader had the same powers than his father! Had they been Jedi warriors that had fought together in the Clone Wars? Or had they been enemies already? He had learnt that the Sith and the Jedi were mortal nemesis.

Before he could ask any new question, a blurry image of a fiery-looking planet replaced those of his father's heroics.

He watched, transfixed, as his father and - was that a younger Ben Kenobi? - shuffled and stepped backward and into view, duelling each other to death.

* * *

Vader let the exclusive and only-remaining holorecord of Mustafar's security cameras play until the two warriors moved out of sight once again.

"What happened?" His son inquired instantly, turning his distraught blue gaze back toward him.

"Anakin lost the duel and was gravelly injured by the Jedi who then left him to burn alive on the banks of the great river of lava. Before that day, that traitorous Jedi had been his teacher, his friend and brother in everything but blood."

Although Vader tried to soften the details of what had happened to him on that fateful and horrifying day, he needed his son to understand why he now wore the armored suit as well as why the Jedi had had to be hunted down and destroyed.

Beside him, the child drew back and grimaced in revulsion and sympathy at the mention of his burning alive.

"After that day, Anakin foreswore his Jedi identity and took on - truly took on - the Sith name that had already been granted to him by Darth Sidious, his Sith master." He slowly gazed down at the worried child. "Darth Sidious is known by everyone else as Emperor Palpatine."

"Darth-?" Luke began even as he suddenly seemed to realize who he was standing close to.

A moment later, the boy's crystalline eyes widened yet again, this time in horrified realization even as he slowly stepped away from him.

The clever child had figured out what had happened to his father and he was once again afraid of him.

* * *

Darth Sidious... Darth Vader... His father, Anakin Skywalker, had taken on a Sith name, and no one else but Vader, and now the revealed Sith emperor, bore that kind of name in the galaxy...

That left only one possible conclusion: Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader!..

Darth Vader was his father!

He was Darth Vader's son!..

He was still backing away from the now standing black-clad man when he suddenly bumped into the wall.

He couldn't go anywhere anymore.

Besides, where _could_ he go anyway when his father was the second-in-command of the freaking galactic Empire?!

"I am your father, Luke," Vader stated calmly after he stopped a short but still respectable distance from him. "Your aunt and uncle are my half-brother and his wife."

Luke was downright reeling from the unexpected discovery. Sure, he had always known that his father had been more than a navigator on a space freighter, but he had never imagined that he had been a legendary Jedi Knight, let alone that he was still alive and bearing a new name.

A Sith name... Darth Vader...

Now he understood why the dark lord had reassured him about his fate. Of course he wouldn't kill him! They were family!

Still, if his father was, in fact, the second most powerful man in the Empire, then why had he waited all this time to reveal himself? Why leave him in the conscripts barracks for almost two miserable years? And why had he left him with his aunt and uncle in the first place? Had he only been waiting for him to be old enough to be of use to him, not caring about his child before now?

* * *

Vader patiently waited - a feat in itself for him - for the boy to speak up once again.

When he saw the distressed blue eyes suddenly harden and stare up at him in resentment, he actually swallowed in uncertainty.

This was _not_ the gaze of a child who was happy to find his long-lost parent.

"Why?" Came the simple yet complex question. "Why did you leave me behind? Why reveal yourself now and not-"

To Vader's relief, it was one of the easiest question to answer. "I didn't know that you were alive, Luke. I thought that you'd died with..." He abnormally choked on the shameful words and the memories that they churned up. "And then you were carefully hidden from me by my archnemesis, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He stole you from me, Son. He stole you from your rightful life at my side where you would have benefited from the best of everything that the Empire can offer."

"Kenobi? You mean Ben?" The child frowned, some of his animosity dwindling under his father's earnest answer.

"Ben?"

"An old hermit that lives by the Dune Sea back home. He sometimes came by the farm to trade for water. When he did, he would always take a moment to talk with me, something that people rarely did."

If not for his fear of scaring the child away for life, Vader would have exploded in a fit of rage the likes that he hadn't had since learning about his wife's death at his own hands. Obi-Wan had not only kept his child tucked away but had even regularly checked on him to make sure that he was still oblivious to his invisible prison.

The Devastaror could never return fast enough to Tatooine so that he could settle yet one more score with his ex-brother. Vader was already thirsty for a revenge that now concerned more than the result of their last duel.

Now, it was truly personnal as the Jedi had _dared_ use his innocent son as a mere pawn in his fight against the Sith.

The traitor had dared keep his son from him?! Death would not be nearly enough to assuage Vader's need for vengeance.

While the dark lord came up with ways to torture the traitor for decades to come, his once again uneasy boy studied him warily, as if he could sense his sudden change of mood.

Aware that the future of his relationship with the child hinged on the next ten minutes of their first meeting as father and son, Vader forced himself to calm down and save his fury for later, when it would be possible to unleash it. "That old man is, indeed, the Jedi scum that stole you away," he finally said, his fists clenching at his sides at the thought of what Kenobi had done to their family - and what he could have done to the boy if Luke had remained a secret. The scenarios that occurred to him were far from pleasant and some were even cruel toward the unsuspecting youth. "He will not get away with this crime against our family," he finally hissed malevolently.

* * *

Luke was not exactly reassured by his father's answer, but at least, Vader didn't feel anymore like a raging sandstorm that was about to devastate everything in his path.

For now, the hurricane was gone, or at least delayed.

Still, Luke would bet everything he had that this sickening feeling had been Vader's anger about to be unleashed on an enemy. He shuddered at the memory of how potent and destructive that had felt and he sincerely promised himself never to upset his father from now on.

He really didn't want to experience even an iota of what he had just felt as barely contained by his sire.

"So what now?" He inquired after Vader fell in his thoughts - of revenge, no doubt.

The metallic mask looked up at him and the tension that seemed to keep the man taut as a wire suddenly vanished and he dwindled back to more human proportions - or so he felt anyway.

"I want to give you everything that you should have had already."

"Like?" He asked, perplexed. While he knew what money could buy, he didn't feel particularly inclined to indulge in material luxuries.

He was satisfied by what he had.

Besides, what he really wanted was to fly, plain and simple, and now, to be with his father.

"Better living arrangements, for starters, a position as my personal wingman in my new Black Squadron, and training to learn how to use the Force - truly use it - to your advantage. I want to take you under my wing as my Sith apprentice, Son. Would you like that?"

Luke was flabbergasted by what was suddenly offered to him, which was all his dreams come true, as if his father had read his mind. All of a sudden, his father was alive and with him, he was given a pilot position, and he would even learn how to harness those strange powers that he had always had without knowing that he had them.

How could he possibly refuse?

"Y... Yes,... Father. I would like to be part of your life from now on."

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that? How did you like the second part of Vader's plan to finally introduce himself to his son? What did you think of Luke's reaction after he learnt the truth about his father – resenting him at first, I mean ;P And now, what do you think will happen? Will Luke simply step into the new world opened up by his father? Or wil he have moral qualms once he understands what he is really offered to become?

If you want more, you know what to do:) Or, if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you feel more comfortable that way). However, if you simply don't like this '_kind_' of story because it's not your style, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Until next time, remember that reviews are very precious gifts, and we're in the season for giving :) Happy Holidays everyone!


	8. Chapter 8 (in the past)

The balance of the Force

By Mireille

2000/2013

* * *

_Previously_: Vader captured Luke and had a neurologist first erase the Rebel's more recent memories before he restored his older ones. Then, Vader used a Force trance to share his own memories of their common past before Luke's accident on Yavin 4. After receiving irrefutable proof of those memories in the form of his very own Sith lightsaber, the young man entered a memory-strenghtening trance with his father who shared everything he knew about how Luke joined the Empire, when he was conscripted in the tech corps at 15 years old.

Back then, he had managed to hack his way into the registry system for the sims and hone his instinctive piloting skills while sating his need to fly until he could finally apply for a transfer to the Academy, when he was of age. Unfortunately, Lord Vader found out about the unregistered yet best TIE pilot of his crew – next to him – and the search led to the discovery of his unknown son.

This new part continues to reveal the secrets of Luke's past as an imperial.

* * *

Happy holiday season everyone! First of all, thanks to everyone who has reviewed the latest posts even though they were posted quickly one after the other! Your comments and kindness really mean a lot to me! I hope you'll continue to have fun reading this new part as well :) (and thanks for sharing your thoughts about each new part and their particularities instead of waiting for the whole posts to be done and comment in general; the reason why I chose to post the way I did was to hopefully get more precise comments about the things I asked about in my questions, so once again, dear reviewers, huge, huge thanks for your awesome gifts this season :) Wookiee Hug! And this new update is just for you, and especially for vampsydney who reviewed part 7 already! Thanks again!

Thanks as well for the favorites and alerts. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my ability to entertain you and I hope to one day read your thoughts in more details :)

* * *

And here is the last post of this first meeting between Father and Son :) And while their is still much to come till the story shifts back into their present, this ending shouldn't leave you on too bad of a cliffhanger... just a little one ;P

To get more, you know what you have to do. Yup, you got it ;) You have to hit the button at the bottom of this post and do your reader thing :)

Please, don't hesitate to share your thoughts :D

* * *

Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belongs to me; everything belongs to Walt Disney Co. and George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.

* * *

**Part 7: To be or not to be Vader's Son**

Whether it was because Luke's perception of the man had suddenly changed, or because his father had greatly relaxed upon hearing his answer, the youth still felt as if the previously menacing and looming figure of his sire had somehow deflated even further and into a truly non-threatening presence in front of him.

Luke thus felt his remaining tension fade away and even remain at bay when his father cautiously took a step closer before inviting him away from the bulkhead against which he still stood.

"I'm glad that you also want us to be together now, Son. There is much I want to share with you, and we have so many years to catch up on already."

"Hmmm, about that," Luke began and he felt his cheeks burn with shame as he became acutely aware that his father, whom he had always wanted to make proud, had just caught him in the wake of one if his naughtiest moments ever. "I.. huh... Normally, I'm not mischievous like I might appear to be after what I did. This was... a once in a lifetime straying, I promise."

He flinched slightly when his father extended a large gloved hand toward him, and then let go of the breath that he had been holding when the older man merely rested his hand on his small right shoulder.

"If you weren't unruly like I used to be, Son, I'd still be ignorant of your presence aboard the ship... It was your prowess as an unregistered pilot that led us to today's reunion. I can only thank the Force that you dared risk everything for your love of flying."

"It was stronger than even my fear of the consequences..." Luke nodded in agreement. "I _had_ to once again gain access to the sims. It was the closest that I could get to flying and I couldn't not do it."

* * *

Vader nodded at his son even as he gently steered him away from the wall and back toward the middle of his anteroom. "Clearly, the Force wanted to reunite us, Son. It was its Call that you felt for as long as you couldn't answer it."

And that proved that Kenobi had truly committed a sinful crime when he had hidden the boy from him.

No doubt, he had taken him from the dead arms of his mother, or had perhaps even freed Luke from her womb before the baby died as well...

Kenobi had saved his son's life, only to steal it from him afterward.

"So, hmmm, you were mischievous too when you were younger?" The boy inquired, biting the inside of his cheek in nervousness.

"I was never one to follow the rules, which is what saved me in the end. I will answer all your questions," he then interrupted the next question before it had come up, "but for the moment, I'll show you to your temporary quarters. Our first order of business tonight will be to discuss your future new quarters, which will be built right next door. Until tonight, consider how you'd like them to be in terms of amenities, special requests, and general decor. Come."

* * *

Baffled by what he had just promised him about his personal control over his own quarters - a control that he had never had before in his entire life - the boy fell in step beside him while Vader guided him toward a concealed door that was set in the wall on the opposite side of the anteroom.

The secret door then slid open at a touch of the Force and small but completely functional and comfortable quarters were revealed to the child's amazed stare.

"These quarters are meant for my agents. They should suffice until I can provide you with proper private rooms."

Luke was still unable to believe that the complete suite and all its high-end installations were all and only for him. Shyly, almost hesitantly, he crossed the threshold and stepped inside his temporary quarters.

They were even bigger than the homestead on Tatooine, and they certainly didn't compare with the cramped and bare quarters that he had had up until now. "That would suffice already, Father," he said out loud after he discovered more hidden luxuries behind concealed panels.

"Nonsense, Son. Besides, I will still need those rooms in the future, so you need to have your own quarters."

"What about yours?" He inquired, frowning at the idea of his father living in the small pod of the main room. That couldn't be right. "Do you have other rooms besides that one?" He pointed at the darkened room behind his father's black clad figure that framed the entrance of his temporary rooms.

"Yes, I do. I will show them to you as well, but I wanted to show you those first. Mine are... adapted to my special needs and couldn't accommodate you."

Luke frowned further in confusion before he followed his father back into the anteroom. When they approached the back wall of the room, another concealed door slid open. This time, they stepped into rather spartan apartments. The large main room was almost empty save for a large bookcase against the wall on their left and few pieces of art on the right wall. As for the far wall, it was nothing but transparent durasteel, giving them a panoramic view of space - or hyperspace's distorted clouds like at the moment.

The youth could only gape, incredulous, at the impossible scope of the large room. He wasn't even aware of his own movement when his feet drew him of their own accord toward the observation bay window.

* * *

As he felt and saw his son's reaction to his own preferred decor, Vader smiled fatherly care. Although it was an unfamiliar feeling for the Sith Lord, it was already very pleasant and he was looking forward to several repetitions of that particular emotion.

His son was also very much like him, drawn like a magnet to the stars and space.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He commented, walking up behind the fascinated child.

"Awesome... I've seen pictures of what it looks like, but this... It's mesmerizing. It's strange to think that in the two years servicing this ship, I have never seen outside of it while it was in hyperspace."

While he nodded in agreement with his son, Vader noticed yet again that the boy's vocabulary was rather elaborate for a mere youth; it certainly was not the slang and slurred expressions that were so common to boys of his age. "I must commend you on keeping up with your education, Son. Very few young conscripts ever stick to the program."

Even as he felt further pleasure spread throughout the child's presence, Luke turned to look up at him, a shy smile forming on his lips. "Uh... Thanks, but I simply had to do so if I wanted to join the Academy when I'd be of age."

While Vader understood that the child was dedicated to whatever goal he set for himself, he also noticed his choice of verb tense and decided to establish a first requirement for his son's new life. "Despite your new position, Son, you will continue your studies. There is still much for you to learn and with the life that now awaits you, everything you can learn can someday prove to be an asset."

"Oh..." The little one reluctantly accepted with a nod of comprehension. "Okay... I'm almost done anyway."

"With the basic degree, perhaps, but you will not stop there anymore. As my son, you will have access _and_ take advantage of the best universities in the Empire."

"But I don't want to leave here, Father!" Luke objected instantly, mildly surprising Vader with his strenght of character that made him even brave enough to argue with Darth Vader, Jedi exterminator and terrorizer of even hardened officers.

He belatedly understood that his boy was both his father's _and_ his mother's son, hard headed and willful like the two of them combined. "I don't want us to be parted either, Son, and, if our master allows it, we won't. However, that will not keep you from studying from a distance. Being the son of Vader opens the doors to many special arrangements and possibilities, you'll see."

The boy pursed his lips in slight doubt but nodded in compliance. "Okay... But Father?" He asked, gazing straight into his dark eye lenses. "What did you mean by 'our master allowing us to stay together'? Why do we need permission to do as we wish?"

While the child's loyalty to his father was clearly and already absolute, the rest of his new situation was less evident to him and he was already balking at the thought of being denied his chosen living arrangements.

Vader understood that he had to nip the boy's misplaced defiance in the bud. "The Emperor is our master, Luke. We owe him complete obedience and devotion, or haven't you learnt that part of your imperial training as a tech?"

"No, I... I know that, but..."

"After I introduce you to him, he will decide what is best for us and we _will_ obey, young one." He turned to completely face the scowling child and slightly loomed over him. "You do _not_ want to upset Darth Sidious, Son. The consequences would be at the very least agonizing and could even be dire."

Like he had expected, the boy was properly subdued by the implicit threat and Vader both saw and felt him crush his instinctive rebellion against that kind of uncompromising control.

"Good. Now, just remember that if you serve him well, he will reward you beyond your wildest dreams. Obey him in everything, and all will be well."

The crystal blue eyes looked back up at him and this time, there was concern shining in their depth.

Vader understood that the child was afraid of his own wild streak and how it might put him at risk of punishment. The Sith lord brought his left hand to the boy's right cheek and cupped his face in comfort. "Don't worry, Son. I will teach you how to obey him and remain in his good graces. If you learn well, you will never, ever incur his wrath."

Despite his reassurance, however, the youth remained so nervous once again that he felt akin to a live wire through the Force.

"What's on your mind, Son?"

* * *

Even though his newfound father, the dreaded Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader, didn't scare him anymore, Luke couldn't keep his fear from returning at the mention of his possibly upsetting the Emperor in the future.

He had known for a long time that the Emperor was a tyrant and a dictator, but the way that his father talked about his interventions in the very choices of their personal lives despite his father being second-on-command... And the consequences of any disobedience...

He slowly backed away from his father's gentle touch, not because he was afraid that he would hurt him, but because of what he stood for, i.e. the Emperor's dominion over both of their lives.

"Luke?" Vader inquired after his first step out of his reach.

The youth could only shake his head in negative, unable to voice his deepest fears.

He didn't go very far before both of his father's strong and unyielding hands grasped his shoulders, efficiently stilling him. "Son, what's wrong? Was it something I-"

"It's so big," he finally half breathed. "I... I'm not sure that I can... That I'm able to..." He fell silent and studiously avoided his father's looming sight by staring down at the deck.

He couldn't say it out loud, but he was terrified of what his life had suddenly become.

At first, it had only been about being with his father, at last, and flying, but then the galactic Emperor had become involved and all of a sudden, it had dawned on him that he was about to step onto the very large, very complex and very treacherous scene of intergalactic politics and military.

It was faaaaar too much too fast for him.

He only wanted to fly, and he wanted to get to know his father, but he couldn't...

Two of his father's large gloved fingers touched his chin and gently made him look up at him.

"It will be alright, Son. We'll take it one step at a time. There's no rush. We have all the time in the galaxy now."

How had he-? Luke gaped even as the release of his fears made him do the unthinkable, up till now at least. Before he had caught himself, he leaned into Vader's strenght and wrapped his arms around his father in wordless relief and affection.

He couldn't speak, couldn't even think. He could only draw from the man's unshakable strenght as tears of relief escaped his rigid self-control and slid down his cheeks.

He was home.

He was finally home.

He didn't have to be strong and independent all the time anymore and he didn't have to be an adult before his time.

He was finally right where he belonged.

As if in silent confirmation, Vader's sturdy arms slowly wrapped around his shoulders, returning their first hug ever.

* * *

Although Vader hadn't expected his obviously self-reliant, sixteen-year-old grown up son to accept any form of embrace from him - because boys of his age normally didn't - he was not upset in the least when Luke suddenly sought physical comfort from him.

Of course, his chest plate made the embrace awkward at best, and uncomfortable at worst, but the boy - still a child, really - didn't seem to mind. Luke even tightened his hold on him after he, too, wrapped his arms around the youth.

They stood like that for long minutes, silent save for his mechanical breathing while Vader's heart felt about ready to burst with joy- and then the youth seemed to realize what he had done and straightened up even as he took a step back from him.

Still a child, indeed, Vader smiled to himself in amusement at his boy's visible effort to regain his more mature composure.

"Hmmmm, sorry. I... It won't happen again, Father." He quickly dried his still wet eyes with his dirty sleeves. "I know that I'm too old for that now... I shouldn't have-"

The child stopped apologizing when Vader touched his lips with his right index prosthetic finger. "Hush, little one. You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry. Furthermore," he went on, pulling his hand away from the calmer child, "the present circumstances overwhelm even me so-"

"You?" His son gaped. "You are also nervous and uneasy? It doesn't show."

What had been a smile turned into a chuckle of amusement - as well as a weird and abnormal sound from his vocoder that was unable to properly process the un-Sith-like sound. "I am, believe me. I merely have more practice at self-control than you do."

"Will you teach me that as well? How to keep face instead of looking foolish when caught off-balance or surprised?"

"Yes, Son," he answered in earnest, "I will teach you anything and everything you want to learn from me."

For a moment, the child shifted slightly and Vader felt his son's fierce desire to hug him again in elation, but Luke held himself back.

Vader, however, didn't and wrapped his left arm across the youth's shoulders in a gesture of affection. "You should have seen me when I met your future mother for the second time. Awkward was one way to describe it, I assure you."

Like he had hoped, his offering some story of the past about his old life with Padme put the child at ease even as it drew his attention like a magnet.

"Mother? Tell me? Please?"

Vader reached out with the Force to activate the room's controls and comfortable sitting couches unfolded from underneath the deck and in front of the observation bay. They both sat on the long couch and Vader proceeded to paint as complete and as honest a portrait as he could of his past life. However, while he exposed his growing distrust of the Jedi, just for good measure, he focused primarily on the few happy moments that he had had with Padme.

His son drank it all in, subjugated by the secrets that were finally revealed to him in their entire truth.

TBC

* * *

Well? How was that? How did you like Luke's reaction after he realized what truly entailed his father's offer? ;P How did you like their first true exchanges as father and son? And now, what do you think will happen? How do you think that Palpatine will react to his servant's new discovery? How will Luke adapt to his new life?

If you want more, you know what to do:) Or, if you don't want more because of bad characterizations, lack of detail, or anything that could help me improve this story into a more edible read, I'd still like to know why (via private messaging if you feel more comfortable that way). However, if you simply don't like this '_kind_' of story because it's not your style, then don't worry. To each our own :)

Until next time, remember that reviews are very precious gifts, and we're in the season for giving :) Happy Holidays everyone!


End file.
